Harry Potter and the Snow Princess: Part One
by Mikokat
Summary: All is turned upside-down when Elsa receives a Hogwarts Acceptance Letter and goes off to study magic! Could this finally be the answer to controlling her powers? Where does a raven-haired, bespectacled boy come into the picture? AU, Young!Elsa, takes place in the Harry Potter timeline. Rated T for mild cursing.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Quiet. That was the only word to describe things these days in the Royal Palace of Arendelle. At least, that's how it would sound to two particular little girls who lived there. For nearly as long as they could remember; hardly any sound of fun, joy, or the typical happiness that was associated with children of this age was absent from this large, nearly lifeless house.

That's not to say that it had always been this way, of course. Once upon a time, years ago, this now-practically desolate palace had once been the 'talk of the town,' so to speak. Parties, get-togethers, social functions; all of these at one time had been a regular fixture of the Royal Palace. In her early years, the eldest girl can remember a plethora of guests streaming through the palace gates. Wonderful memories, these were, especially the few times that her mother and father allowed her to stay up late and take part in the festivities. Birthday celebrations were the greatest. All of the wonderful treats and treasures that a child could want were here. Especially chocolate cake, she loved anything with chocolate in it.

This particular girl we speak of is no ordinary girl. No…not ordinary in any way whatsoever. This girl's name is Elsa, and she is the Crown Princess of Arendelle, set to take over the throne when her time comes. However, that isn't the only thing that makes her stand out from others her age. You see, Elsa was born with a gift or a curse, depending on how you look at it. Some might go so far as to call her a 'Snow Princess,' and Elsa would not blame them for coming up with said title. Because Elsa harbored powers. Powers to create ice and snow out of thin air! Powers of which are not known to many and have the potential to cause catastrophic consequences, if used for the wrong purposes.

"Like that one night…" Elsa mused.

The night Elsa thinks of is the night she came to realize what her powers could cause. The night that changed her relationship with her family completely. On this particular night approximately three years ago, an eight year-old Elsa lay sleeping in her large, comfortable blue bed in the room she then shared with her five year-old sister Anna. The two were the closest siblings anyone ever saw, practically joined at the hip. If it weren't for the obvious difference in age, one might assume that these two could possibly be twins!

On that particular night, Anna had decided that sleep was below her. Being the five year-old that she was, the first thing she decided to do was wake her big sister up to join in the fun. Elsa attempted to get her little sister to go back to sleep, but to no avail. Eventually, the thought of building a snowman in the middle of their palace became too much for Elsa to remain in her bed, and soon the two little girls were stampeding down the stairs to create an indoor snow playground. The two laughed and played to their little hearts' content, oblivious to the huge accident that was about to occur. Anna wanted her big sister to create a series of snow mountains for her to jump between, and Elsa readily agreed to this plan. However, Anna was too fast for her own good! Elsa was unable to keep up with Anna's speed and repeatedly warned her to slow down, but Anna wasn't heeding any of it. Seeing that Anna was going to fall and hurt herself, Elsa in a moment of panic shot an ice beam at her little sister that froze Anna's head, causing Anna to go out cold.

After frantically calling for her mother and father, the four raced off in the dark of the night to get Anna the proper attention she desperately needed. The family rode to the Valley of the Living Rock, the only place that had those who could help the youngest girl. The Troll King not only healed Anna, but also removed all of her memories of Elsa's powers, leaving only the memories of the fun she had with her older sister. The Troll King went on to explain the magnitude of Elsa's powers, that they would only grow with her and that she must learn to control them before it was too late.

Her parent's solution to the problem was to simply lock her away in her room, close the palace to all outsiders, and wait for her to learn to finally gain control over her supernatural powers. But it seemed that as time went on, her powers became even more powerful and more difficult to control, as the Troll King predicted. Elsa was no closer to figuring out how to manage her powers than she was the day this all came about. The day she realized that she was all alone. The day she all but lost her best friend. Her beloved sister.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Elsa was shaken from her thoughts by a knock at her door. A knock that was all too familiar to her and one she so desperately wishes she could answer. A knock on the door from Anna, asking her the very question that changed her life long ago. How she wished she could simply fling open the door, give her little sister a big hug, apologize for being the worst big sister ever, and help Anna build a snowman. Alas, that was not to happen, not anytime soon. She could not live with herself if she caused something worse to happen to her sister.

"Go away, Anna!"

"Okay, bye…"

How truly painful it was to say those three words, her little sister's reaction making her feel ten thousand times worse. Elsa just wanted to cry every time she heard the dejected tone in her sister's voice. Curse these damn powers! If only there was a way for her to figure out how to gain some sort of control over it…

'TAP, TAP, TAP'

A sudden tapping on the window once again brought Elsa out of her thoughts. Looking out the window to the snowy kingdom outside, Elsa saw something that truly startled her. The tapping on the window was coming from an owl, and it was looking straight at her as if it wanted her to open the window! Her curiosity getting the better of her, Elsa cautiously opened her bedroom window to allow the brown tawny owl inside. Shaking its feathers of any snow and ice, the owl landed on Elsa's outstretched arm and stuck its leg out, causing Elsa to notice something else. The owl was carrying a letter! Quickly untying the envelope, Elsa carefully examined the exterior. The envelope was made of a thick, yellowish parchment with green ink bearing the words:

_Princess Elsa Arendelle_

_The Second-Largest Bedroom_

_Royal Arendelle Palace_

_Kingdom of Arendelle_


	2. The Letters That Changed Everything

**Chapter One: The Letters That Changed Everything**

Young Princess Elsa eyed the letter with extreme interest. A letter for her? Surely someone had to have been mistaken. Never in her life had she received any type of mail before, and surely not by an owl! But here it was, as clear as day. Addressed not only to her house, but to her very room! How could somebody know where she slept? Was someone stalking her? Perhaps someone had found out her secret! That would be horrible, there was no way anybody could ever know about her powers. Not until she could control them, at least.

With her fingers trembling, Elsa carefully opened the envelope along the seam, making sure not to tear anything whatsoever. Regardless of how suspicious it was, this was her first letter, after all. The first time somebody out there took time to write specifically to her and her alone. There was no way she was going to spoil this moment! Excitedly, Elsa removed the letter from the envelope and unfolded it, encountering even more yellow parchment with emerald green ink. Her eyes scanning the letter, she began to read.

_Dear Princess Arendelle,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July._

_Your's sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

A school of witchcraft and wizardry? Surely whoever wrote this must be pulling her leg! But then again…could this perhaps be the answer to all her problems? Was it possible that there were others out there just like her? Those who had the ability to control snow and ice? Elsa, of course, did not know the answer to these questions, but was now extremely excited at the prospect of this all being real. Maybe now she could finally escape the palace walls! She could be somewhat normal again! She could hopefully regain her best friend…assuming Anna didn't absolutely hate her by now. She honestly would not blame Anna. After all, she had been quite a horrible sister these past three years, even if it wasn't her fault.

Excited at the prospect of possibly of living a somewhat normal life again, Elsa wasted no time in replying. After all, what was there to lose? The worst that could happen was that this was all some cruel joke someone had concocted, but you'll never know until you give it a shot, right? Bouncing around her room with a spring in her step not seen in years, Elsa got together some paper and a pen and began to compose her response, throwing all caution to the wind.

_Dear Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,_

_I must say that I was quite surprised to receive your letter. After all, magic couldn't be real, right? That's what most people believe. But for some reason, I don't feel like this is a joke someone cooked up. You see, I shouldn't be telling you this, but…I have these powers that other people don't have. I can bend snow, ice, and water to my will. But I can't control it. I hope this is the answer. It's been years since I've been able to lead a normal life. Please help me._

_Elsa Arendelle_

_Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Arendelle_

Unable to think of anything else she could say, Elsa finished her reply with the hope that she didn't sound too desperate. But the fact was that she _was _desperate. She didn't know how long she could keep going on like this. She was sick of the isolation, sick of having no contact with anyone, sick of being confined to the God-forsaken room. All she wanted was to have a normal childhood. Despite the increasingly cold and frozen state of her room—no, her _prison_, this was Hell on Earth for her. A hell that up until this morning, had not seemed possible to escape.

With her fingers trembling, Elsa folded the letter and enclosed it in the envelope, hoping to any god that she would receive a reply. The owl that had delivered her acceptance letter was still there in her room, perched upon the headboard of her bed. Seeing that Elsa was finished with her reply, the owl perched itself upon the princess' outstretched arm and held out its leg, allowing Elsa to tie the letter to it.

"Take this back to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall for me, please?" Elsa asked, unsure if owls—even seemingly magical ones that delivered mail—could understand English. The owl seemingly understood though, giving the young princess a small affirmative hoot before flying out of the still open window. Elsa stared at the owl as it flew into the snowy white morning sky, until she could see it no more. With a sigh, the young girl stepped deeper into her room as her mind constantly replayed the events of this morning over and over again. To Elsa, it seemed a small ray of light finally appeared at the end of this unbearably long tunnel. An unbearably cold, icy, long tunnel that was suddenly hit with an unexpected, yet totally welcome feeling of warmth. For the first time in what seemed to be forever…Elsa _smiled_. Perhaps this was her ticket to freedom, a ticket that was long overdue.

* * *

A few hours later, tucked way in a small office inside a large castle in Scotland, an older bespectacled woman in emerald green robes and hair in a tight bun sat at her desk, sipping a warm cup of Earl Grey tea while examining what seemed to be mountains of paperwork. This was one time of the year she absolutely dreaded, simply because she did not enjoy having to process seven years worth of acceptance letters. It was a very tedious and monotonous job, and what made it worse was that it all had to be done _by hand_. At least, signing the bottom of each letter had to be. Unfortunately, there was no spell in existence to copy her signature onto every letter, which would make her job a great deal easier. At least the equipment lists were able to simply be copied, otherwise she was sure she would be sitting at this desk until October. The only upside the woman could think of was that at least each first year would know the name of one of their professors: Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall had just finished signing and sending out the final acceptance letter to the first year students and was about to begin the working on the second years when she was interrupted by a tap on her office's window. Looking out to her left, she clearly saw one of the school's brown tawny owls already back from making the first of what would be many deliveries to the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor McGonagall opened the window and allowed the owl inside, where it flew straight to her desk and stuck its leg out so that she could remove the letter. Minerva quickly untied the envelope from the owl and reached into one of the drawers of her desk, looking for an owl treat. After getting its treat, the owl flew out of the window and off for a well deserved rest.

A brief examination of the envelope told Professor McGonagall that one of the first years had already responded to their acceptance letter. A first year by the name of Elsa Arendelle, definitely one of the more memorable students on the list this year. How often is it that a Crown Princess is accepted at Hogwarts? Professor McGonagall certainly could not remember the last time a student of such a high-ranking status attended. Of course, if you were to talk to some other people in the school, you would find other's definitions of 'high-ranking' would differ from that of the Deputy Headmistress.

Opening the envelope, the professor began to read the brief response, her brow furrowing more and more as the letter went on. What started as a seemingly eloquent and well-written message from a crown princess quickly became what looked to be not just an intent to study at Hogwarts, but also a desperate plea for help from a troubled eleven year-old girl. It was definitely one of the more unusual responses she had seen in her years as Deputy Headmistress, and her instincts told her that there was more than this little girl was letting on. The professor hoped to Merlin that this child was not being abused in any way because of her performing accidental magic. It had been known to happen to children of non-magical parentage, particularly with those who came from extremely evangelical families.

Professor McGonagall soon realized that she alone could not deal with the issues brought up in this letter. No, this had to be brought to the headmaster himself. So with the letter in hand, Professor McGonagall immediately departed her office and made her way through the castle to the office of her only superior. Approaching a statue of a large gargoyle, the Deputy Headmistress immediately spoke what seemed to be a password ("Chocolate Frogs!"), causing the gargoyle to step aside and allow her access to a moving spiral staircase behind it. Stepping onto the staircase, the professor climbed the last set of steps before finding herself before a simple wooden door that she knocked on three times.

"Enter!" came the voice of a man from the other side of the door.

Professor McGonagall opened the door and entered a circular-shaped room with portraits lining every inch of the wall and odd objects scattered about. On a perch on her far right side was a large, red, majestic phoenix, who trilled what Professor McGonagall could only assume was a note of welcome. Professor McGonagall's attention, however, was on the man sitting behind the desk situated at the center of the room. This man was a man like many have never seen before, clad in long, purple robes and pointed wizards hat with white hair and a long white beard that extended down to his hips, and a twinkle in his eye. This man was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Ah, good afternoon Minerva. Please have a seat. What brings you here today? Would you care for a lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked jovially, with a serene smile on his face.

"No thank you, Albus," McGonagall politely declined while sitting on the other side of the desk from Dumbledore. McGonagall always wondered exactly where the old man's fixation with lemon drops came from. "I'm here because I just received the first response from one of our incoming first years. It was rather disturbing, if I may say so."

"Disturbing? How so, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle slightly dimming. Disturbing information from an eleven year-old child was never a good sign.

"I'm not sure if I can describe it, Albus. I believe it's best if you read her response yourself," McGonagall replied, handing the letter over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore quickly read the letter, the twinkle in his eyes dimming more and more as he went on. By the time he was finished, it was almost completely gone and a sad frown replaced his previous smile.

"I'm afraid this young girl has no idea what she is." Dumbledore concluded. It took no more words for McGonagall to understand what Dumbledore meant, a gasp was all that initially came out of her mouth.

"Surely, Albus, you cannot mean…"

"I'm afraid so, Minerva." Dumbledore replied, "it looks like for the first time since the era of the Four Founders, Hogwarts will have an Elemental studying within its walls."

There was absolutely no sound from anyone or anything for seconds after. Even the portraits on the walls stopped conversing with each other. This was big news indeed, an Elemental was extremely rare, none known to have existed since the time of the four Hogwarts Founders nearly a thousand years ago. Now to have one studying at Hogwarts was a large change indeed. Everyone in the magical world knew that Elementals who were not properly trained in controlling their powers could be catastrophic. It was McGonagall who broke the silence.

"An elemental…at Hogwarts…" was all the Deputy Headmistress could come up with.

"Yes…from the sound of this letter, I believe the young girl has not yet learned what her powers are at all, let alone learned to control them. We must visit this girl in person as this cannot simply be explained in a letter. From what it sounds like, there may be some habits that Miss Arendelle will have to unlearn," Dumbledore explained while popping a lemon drop into his mouth.

"But Albus, will we be able to accommodate her? This is most definitely an extreme case…"

"Minerva, my dear," Albus smiled, the twinkle back in his eye, "There was once a time when wizards and witches with certain, shall we say…_extremities_ would not be able to seek an education in this school. I vowed to make sure that changed when I became headmaster, and dare I say I think we have done just that? I'm sure a certain werewolf friend of ours comes to mind."

"Yes, yes, of course," Minerva agreed with a smile. Though she would never admit it, Remus Lupin had always been one of her favorite students.

"No witch or wizard should ever be deprived of the chance to seek magical education. After all, as educators, it is indeed our duty to educate all young witches and wizards that seek our guidance, no matter their parentage, conditions, or in this case, special abilities. Hogwarts will always be open to those young magicals that seek it." Dumbledore stated with a tone of finality, implying that the subject was closed and not up for debate.

"I shall write to young Miss Arendelle immediately, telling her of our plan to meet her. As she is a muggle-born, she needs to be properly introduced to the magical world in any case," Dumbledore continued.

"Very well then, Albus. If you don't mind, there are many things I must still get to, so I will take my leave. Thank you for the time," McGonagall said as she rose from her chair and moved to exit the Headmaster's office.

"It is no matter at all. My door is always open, as you know. I wish you the best of luck with all your paperwork. I do remember having to do much of it myself when I was Deputy Head. I daresay that is one of the things I do not miss of those days," Dumbledore replied with a cheerful smile.

"Thank you very much for that compliment, Albus," McGonagall dryly replied through gritted teeth. Without waiting for a reply, she left Dumbledore in his office with only the phoenix for company.

"It certainly looks like the next seven years at Hogwarts will be interesting, don't you think Fawkes?" he asked the bird, "What with Miss Arendelle and Mr. Potter beginning this year." Fawkes chirped in what one could only assume was an agreement with the headmaster. Dumbledore took out a quill and some parchment and began to write his letter to young Miss Arendelle.

_Dear Miss Arendelle,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would like to reassure you that Hogwarts in indeed a real school and that we are not playing a mean joke on you. Professor McGonagall shared with me your reply to your acceptance letter, and I am delighted to know that you wish to join us this year. I still remember my seven years here as a boy and I truly did enjoy it._

_I'm writing to you in hopes of arranging a meeting with yourself and your mother and father sometime in the near future to discuss your magical education. Both myself and Professor McGonagall plan to be in attendance. We would hope to meet with you on the twenty-fifth of July at noon at your place of residence. If you have no objection to this, you have no need to reply (Though any reply is indeed more than welcome, should you so wish to send one.). In the event that the aforementioned date, time, and place do not work, please send a message back with Fawkes (He truly is an exceptional bird, isn't he?) as quickly as you can._

_I am surely looking forward to seeing you at Hogwarts._

_Your's truly_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Order of Merlin, First Class_

_Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot_

_Supreme Muguwump of the International Confederation of Wizards_

"Fawkes, would you be so kind as to deliver this to young Princess Arendelle. Something tells me she will be quite taken with you."

Fawkes trilled another note as he flew from his perch and allowed Dumbledore to tie the envelope to his leg, then disappeared in what looked to be a ball of flames. Dumbledore simply sat back and allowed his mind to wander, thinking of what the events of the coming school year would include.

* * *

Despite the abnormal and exciting events earlier in the day, it seemed that the resumption of normalcy was inevitable in young Elsa's life. Once again, like many times before, the princess found herself simply sitting with her back against the door in a fetal position, her eyes in a catatonic trance. Her mind, however, was racing at a thousand miles a minute. So many questions she had about what she had received. Do they know of her ice magic abilities? If not, would she still be allowed to attend? Or would she simply be cast aside to figure it all out on her own? Elsa hoped not…her parents had all but abandoned her in her attempts to get her powers under control. Oh sure, they preached the whole 'Conceal, don't feel' junk, but what had that done? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Sometimes Elsa had to wonder if her parents were more of a hindrance than a help.

If Elsa expected for the rest of the day to go without any more incidents, she was extremely mistaken. For at that moment, something that looked to be a golden ball of fire erupted right in the center of her room. Panicking, the snow princess immediately got on the defensive: If there was one benefit to having special powers such as these, it was in threatening situations such as this. But instead of spreading, the flames subsided and out from them flew a beautiful, majestic red bird. Elsa recognized it immediately from the many tales of mythology that she had read while in her parent-imposed imprisonment.

"A phoenix…no way, I must be dreaming…" the eleven year-old gasped, unable to close her mouth at the sight before her. It was at this time the phoenix opened its mouth and let out what had to be the most beautiful, sweet sound that Elsa had ever heard. It sounded as if Heaven itself had come down and settled in her room. To the girl's surprise, she found herself feeling _calmed _and _relaxed_ by the music coming from the beautiful bird, a feeling that had not come over her ever since the day she realized just how powerful she was. Tears of joy and happiness were in her eyes, she just could not fathom this creature's beauty.

As it was finishing its song, the bird flew over to the young girl and landed right at her side, nuzzling its head into her face, as in helping dry the child's tears. Elsa couldn't help it, she reached out a hand and stroked the beautiful phoenix's feathers.

"You are so beautiful…why me?" Elsa questioned. After all, why would such a warm, loving creature visit and _comfort_ a cold being as herself? Elsa then noticed the envelope tied to the phoenix's leg, another letter addressed to her! Elsa made quick work of untying the letter from the phoenix, ripping open the envelope in an manner that would be unbecoming of a future queen. Desperate for an answer, Elsa read through the letter, her heart growing more and more hopeful and optimistic as she went on. This was real, it was all real! She was a witch! How else could she have these powers? How else would a beautiful, magical phoenix be able to not only find her, but understand how she was feeling?

"He sure does enjoy his titles," Elsa thought out loud as she finished up the letter. She could not believe that the headmaster himself had taken the time to personally write her. Was this all a dream? A cruel dream that she would shortly wake up from? The phoenix trilled once again, its beautiful voice seemingly reassuring the child that all of this was indeed real and she was not dreaming.

"Fawkes, would you please tell Headmaster Dumbledore that I would be very excited to meet him?" Elsa asked, even though she herself was unsure of how these animals were able to understand her. It had to have been a magic thing. If she wasn't mistaken, the phoenix _nodded_, as if to answer 'yes' to her question. The phoenix nuzzled her face one more time before taking flight once again, letting out one last trill of beauty before flaming away.

Elsa sat there for a few moments, reveling in what had just happened. In not even a full day, her life had gone from absolute hell to possibly getting better. Never in the last three years did she think this day would come! A day where she might be able to again lead the life that a normal eleven year-old would, aside from living in a castle as royalty of course. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, Elsa was actually feeling _happy_.

Unnoticed by Elsa or anyone else that may have entered the room after that, a little bit of the ice that had accumulated over the years had actually _melted_.


	3. An Explanation for All

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone, I just want to thank you all for all the positive responses to this series. This is actually my first attempt at writing fiction in about six or seven years, so I'm glad that I'm off to what looks to be a good start!

I also would like to respond to one of my anonymous reviewers who reviewed the first two chapters. I would like for you to elaborate on what you mean by an "unexplained friendship." If you could either message me on or drop me an email at mikokat at msn dot com, that would be great. Thanks!

Now, on with the second chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Two: An Explanation for All**

In hindsight, Princess Elsa of Arendelle would not know just how she managed to make it to today in particular, but managed she did. She supposed it had something to do with being brought up as royalty and to avoid outlandish displays of any emotion whatsoever. Elsa hated that. Why couldn't she show her emotions like she so desperately needed? After all, a princess is a person too! They're not mannequins that you could just dress up and show off at your leisure, right? Sadly, it seemed more and more that this was the mindset her parents had adopted. 'Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show.' She knew it applied to more than just her powers alone, and she hated it. Hated it with a fiery, burning passion. Seemingly ironic for a snow princess, wouldn't you say?

But as this day rapidly approached, Elsa found it harder and harder to follow what felt like the age-old mantra that her mother and father had instilled in her. How could she? She finally had a way out! As she woke up in her bed that morning, she quickly realized just what day it was and her heart felt like it began to swell in happiness. It was today! The twenty-fifth of July. The day she would finally meet Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. The day she would finally have an answer to everything! Excited didn't even begin to describe how the eleven year-old princess was feeling right now. Looking down at her bedside clock, she noticed that it was already nine-thirty in the morning, leaving her with less than three hours to get ready for what was sure to be a life-changing event. Less than three hours, that was hardly enough time to make herself look presentable enough for this. She _was _a princess, after all.

As noon approached, another feeling began to creep into the young princess' veins. Nervousness. What if they couldn't do anything for her powers? What if she deemed her too dangerous to be with other students? What if they simply didn't like her and decided to revoke her admission? Elsa tried her greatest to put these fears aside, but just couldn't. She needed this. She needed a way out, a way to finally get herself under her own control, even if it meant going away for ten months out of the year to figure it all out. Something she knew her mother and father would heavily be against. They never let her out of her own bedroom most of the time, why would they let travel to an entirely different country? It was for this reason she did not mention anything about any of this to the king and queen. She was sure they would just write it off as someone playing a joke in order to keep Elsa on what they considered the 'straight, right, and narrow.' If only they could see just how blind they were.

Elsa was shaken from her thoughts as a knock came from her door, followed by the voice of Kai, one of the palace's longtime servants.

"Princess Elsa," Kai called through the door, "there are two individuals here to see you. I will take you down to meet them if you are ready."

"Y-yes, thank you Kai," replied back through the door, mustering up all the courage she could find within her. A few seconds later, Elsa exited her room and followed Kai in silence to the foyer where she would meet two people who, one way or the other, change her entire life forever. The nervousness increasing a thousand fold, Elsa found herself in the foyer a little too soon for her liking. She was hoping she could calm her nerves a little before meeting the professors, but it didn't look like that would be an option. As she looked up, she saw two figures standing in the foyer: One man and one woman. Both at a considerable age, but the man much more so. She briefly studied the two, the man wearing largely flamboyant purple robes and with a beard that looked like it hadn't been shaved or trimmed in many decades. The woman, Elsa noted, looked quite more conservative in her emerald-green robes, rectangular spectacles, and stern expression, though she also detected a hint of caring under the stern façade. Elsa had no doubt in her mind who these two were.

"Princess Elsa of Arendelle, sir and madam," Kai announced. The bearded man stepped forward with a slight bow before extending his hand toward the young princess.

"Greetings, Princess Elsa; it is surely an honor to meet you at last. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts as well as the holder of many other titles, as you probably have seen. This," he gestured to the woman on his left, "is Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor. As you know, you have corresponded with both of us over the past week."

"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet both of you," Elsa replied with a small curtsy. She did not, however, take Dumbledore's hand, "I'm sorry if I cannot shake your hand, Professor, but there are some…problems that could arise if I do." This only served to make Elsa more nervous and insecure, hoping Dumbledore would not be too offended.

"I assure you, it is no matter whatsoever, Princess," Dumbledore replied with a twinkling smile. "Is there perhaps a place we could sit down? Will your mother and father be joining us?"

"Right this way, please," interjected Kai, who had been standing there observing the entire introduction. "I shall escort you to our sitting room and alert the King and Queen of your presence."

"Thank you very much…I apologize, but I'm afraid I never learned your name," said Dumbledore as the four began the journey from the foyer to the palace's sitting room.

"I am Kai, good sir. Welcome to the Royal Palace," the servant replied as they arrived the place where the extremely important conversation was to occur. "Please have a seat, the King and Queen shall be with you shortly." Kai disappeared from the room as a plump woman in a maid's uniform entered carrying a tea tray.

"Good afternoon Princess, sir, and madam," greeted the maid, "I am Gerda and it is an honor to meet you. Welcome to the Royal Palace of Arendelle. Please make yourself comfortable, the King and Queen will arrive shortly," As if on cue, Kai had returned with the King and Queen in his wake.

"His highness the King and her highness the Queen of Arendelle," Kai announced to the group before departing with Gerda following him. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall rose and bowed in respect to the King and Queen, both stepping forward to offer their introductions.

"Greetings, your majesties. It is truly an honor to meet you both. My name is Albus Dumbledore and this is Minerva McGonagall. I would like to apologize for intruding upon your home with hardly any notice, however, we are here to discuss a very urgent matter regarding your daughter."

The King and Queen briefly looked at each other in slight confusion before turning back to the man and woman who had all but burst into the palace without notice. Elsa, meanwhile, just sat there in silence, hoping it would all go somewhat smoothly. This was definitely not going to be an easy conversation.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both, please do not worry about arriving unannounced," the King replied with a tone of uncertainty. "I do have to ask you what you mean by an issue that concerns Elsa. Is there something our daughter has done?" he asked, fearing the worst.

Elsa was hurt by that question. The fact that her father had immediately begun to think that her daughter had done something bad with her powers was one of the worst feelings yet, it showed just how much her mother and father really knew about her. She hadn't even left the palace! How could she have caused something to go wrong?

It was McGonagall that answered the King's question, "We can assure you that our visit in is no way related to your daughter's behavior. However, I would insist that we all have a seat as the subject of our visit may come as a shock."

The four adults in the room sat down, the King and Queen still apprehensive about the entire visit. It was Dumbledore who spoke next, but surprisingly to Elsa instead of her mother and father.

"Princess, if you don't mind my inquiry, are you the only child or do you have any brothers and sisters?"

Taking a deep breath and still trying to get her nerves under control, Elsa spoke as calmly as she could, "I have one sister, sir. A younger sister. Her name is Anna."

"Very well," Dumbledore smiled, "I would hate to impose on your servants again, your majesties, but I would like to insist that Princess Arendelle's sister be present. This is, after all, a matter that concerns your entire family."

If they looked apprehensive before, it was nothing compared to the look the King and Queen had on their faces after Dumbledore's last request. But before the King and Queen could say anything in protest, the door burst open and a young girl, approximately eight years old with red hair braided in two pigtails came in.

"No need to call Kai for me, I'm right here!" said the girl in an extremely upbeat and chipper voice.

"Anna!" the Queen admonished, "have you been spying again?"

"Umm…no?" the littlest girl said in a feeble attempt to conceal what she was exactly doing outside. Dumbledore, meanwhile, was openly chuckling at the young girl's energy while McGonagall looked like she was working extremely hard to maintain her stern expression.

"Ah how the pleasures of youth never seem to change," Dumbledore said in amusement. This caused Anna to shift her attention to the two newcomers.

"Hi, I'm Princess Anna! Who are you? Where are you from? That beard looks cool, how long did it take you to grow it?" Anna asked as she took a seat next to her sister. On instinct, Elsa shifted away from her little sister, causing a slight look of sadness to briefly pass over Anna's face before her usual upbeat expression returned.

"Anna!" scolded the Queen. "That was very rude!"

"Oh, I assure you that it is no matter whatsoever," Dumbledore assured, still chuckling, I am quite fond of my beard, so I thank you for the compliment, Princess. As for who we are, I am Albus Dumbledore and this is Minerva McGonagall. It is an honor to meet you, Princess."

"Nice to meet ya both too!" Anna replied in the most un-princess-like way imaginable.

"Now that everyone is present, I would like to begin to explain the purpose of our visit today," Dumbledore continued. "Miss Elsa already is aware from our correspondence with her—"

"Correspondence?" questioned the King? Why had these people been talking with his daughter? For how long?

"Yes, Father…I got a letter from these two one week ago," Elsa said, uncomfortable under the hard gaze from her mother and father.

"If I may continue?" Dumbledore asked. Slowly, the King and Queen acquiesced. "Thank you. Miss Elsa is already aware of who we are and why we are here today. A meeting such as this one is quite normal for those who are unfamiliar with our world—"

"_Your_ world?" asked the Queen. What was this man talking about?

"Yes, your majesty, our world. There is no simple way to explain this, so the best way is to just directly inform you all: Elsa is a witch."

Silence. That was all that could be heard after Dumbledore's latest statement. For the King and Queen, this was surely preposterous! Their daughter, a witch? Impossible! Human's couldn't have magic, everyone in Arendelle knew that it was only the trolls that could do anything magical.

"Mister Dumbledore," the King began, "Surely you must be mistaken. Elsa a witch? There's no way that can be true. Human magic is all but a myth, it's not real at all!" The King knew this to not be entirely true, what with the powers his daughter had, but there was no need for Dumbledore and McGonagall to know that.

To the King's surprise, Dumbledore merely chuckled. "That, your majesty, is the most common reaction that we get from the parents of students from non-magical families. I cannot begin to remember exactly how many people have had that exact same reaction. I can assure you, however, that human magic is indeed real if you would be so kind." Turning toward Anna, Dumbledore asked, "Princess Anna, would you be willing to assist me in this demonstration?"

"Professor Dumbledore," the Queen interjected, "with all due respect, I don't believe that would be the best—"

"Sure!" was the only response from the littlest girl in the room. A chance to see magic? Surely she wouldn't pass this up! Dumbledore continued before any more objections could be made.

"Very well then, Princess," he said as he pointed what looked to everyone as a magic wand at the little girl. "_Wingardium Leviosa,_" incanted the Headmaster as he swished and flicked him wand. Suddenly Anna found herself rising off her seat and floating in midair! She was flying! Anna found herself floating in whatever direction Dumbledore pointed his wand, flying through the room as if she were a bird. Dumbledore then levitated the young girl back into her seat, the young girl shivering in excitement.

"Wow, that was sooooo cool!" was all Anna had to say. Elsa had to agree, it was fun seeing her little sister so happy and full of life. Her parents, meanwhile, were stunned at being proven wrong. After all, seeing is believing, right? For a few moments, the parents were speechless, their mouths open in awe of what they had just seen. It was the King that broke the silence.

"So…that was just magic you did? And…Elsa can do that as well?" he asked, still attempting to conceal his daughter's powers from the two visitors.

"That and very much more, your majesty. Once she has learned to control her power. That is why we are here today. Both Professor McGonagall and myself are from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As you can probably guess, it is a school that young witches and wizards, such as Princess Elsa, attend in order to learn the ways of how magic works and how to control the magic they have running through their veins. It is imperative that young witches and wizards learn how to take control of their own magic, as an uncontrolled magical core can be quite catastrophic," explained Dumbledore. Once again, silence had just set in amongst the group, and of course it was Anna who broke it.

"So my big sister is a witch? That…is…so…AWESOME!" Anna exclaimed.

"_If only you remembered what happened, Anna. Then you would think I was a monster."_ Elsa thought. She could never forgive herself for what she did to her little sister years ago.

Dumbledore meanwhile, smiled. He was definitely enjoying the youngest princess' antics. "Yes, Princess Anna, it is indeed quite, as you put it, _awesome_. Normally, that would be the end of the story, but there is another factor that must be taken into account. Shortly after Elsa received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts, she sent us a rather peculiar response, telling us of certain…abnormalities she had."

Elsa's father's eyes grew wide at that statement, for he knew _exactly_ what Dumbledore meant. "Elsa…you didn't…" he said in disbelief.

"I did, Father. I had to." Elsa replied, looking her father dead in the eyes and trying not to throw up what little breakfast she had eaten that morning.

"I want to first reassure you all that the mere presence of these abnormalities is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. They are simply the mark of one who harbors more power than others do. I'm sure I need not remind everyone here that despite whatever talents, powers, or abilities we have; we are all people at the end of the day and that we all sweat the same sweat, cry the same tears, and bleed the same blood. Your special abilities no more define you than the very color of your skin. You see, Elsa is known as an Elemental Witch, one of the first to exist in over one thousand years. An Elemental Witch or Wizard has the ability to alter the properties of one of the four elements of this planet. In Princess Elsa's case, that element is one of water. She can bend the water to her will and create snow and ice out of thin air, among other things. It is an ability to be cherished and valued, not one to be ashamed of," explained the Headmaster.

An Elemental. That what she was. It was all so clear now with all of the information Dumbledore had just given her. She, Elsa, the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Arendelle was a witch! Not just a witch, but an Elemental Witch! She wasn't some sort of freak or monster at all! Finally, she had the answers to everything she needed to know. Meanwhile, her mother and father were wondering just what exactly needed to be done now. It was clear to the both of them that their solution over the last three years had simply been the wrong one. Both looked at their eldest daughter's face and saw a shine in her eyes that had not been seen since both of their children had been practically glued together. The parents were so happy to see their child somewhat happy again, yet both felt more than a twinge of guilt with that happiness. What had they done to their two children? They had essentially destroyed the connection the two girls had with one another in the belief that it was for the children's safety. Now they could see that this division only served to make things worse than better. With a heavy sigh in unison, the two parents turned towards Dumbledore and McGonagall, both knowing what was _really_ for the best.

"I guess there really isn't much of a choice, is there Professors?" the King asked, his heart heavy with what he just realized.

"I'm afraid not, your majesty. Not if you want the best for your eldest daughter," Dumbledore confirmed.

Another sigh escaped the King. "Alright then," he acquiesced, "Elsa will attend Hogwarts."

Elsa's heart soared at that. Her mother and father were going to let her study magic! If she wasn't so sure of what would happen, she would jump out of her seat right now and fling herself on her parents. As it stood, however, Elsa was still afraid of what her powers could cause, and refrained from any physical contact with anyone. She hoped that could change soon. She needed to hug her little sister again. It had been far too long.

"Splendid!" Dumbledore clapped, "Have you had the chance to look over the required items list, Princess Elsa?"

Required items list? What was that? Elsa had never seen any such list. Dumbledore meanwhile, chuckled. "From your expression, I would assume that to be a 'no?' No matter whatsoever. Do you still have your acceptance letter?"

Elsa had never went anywhere without it in the past week, so she simply took out the envelope and looked at the papers inside again. Putting the acceptance letter aside, she noticed the additional pages that accompanied it and began reading.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM_

_First year students will require:_

_ 1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_ 2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_ 3. One pair of protected gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_ 4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

_COURSE BOOKS_

_All student should have a copy of each of the following_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)__ by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic__ by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory__ by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration__ by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi__ by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions__ by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them__ by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection__ by Quentin Trimble_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_ 1 wand_

_ 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_ 1 set glass or crystal phials_

_ 1 telescope_

_ 1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

(_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ by J.K. Rowling, pages 66 and 67, USA first edition)

Elsa again panicked a little. She didn't have any of this stuff! Where was she supposed to find a wand, a cauldron, and all the books that were mentioned in the list? Surely there must be a place where all of this could be bought, but where? Seeing her expression, Dumbledore again stepped in to assist.

"Not to worry, Princess Elsa," Dumbledore said with a reassuring smile, "I shall escort you myself to purchase your supplies for school, unless you would prefer Professor McGonagall to do so."

"I-I have no preference, Professor Dumbledore. Either is fine with me. But when can we go?" Elsa was excited once more, she'd finally get to go into the actual wizard world! Her excitement was evident as Dumbledore once again chuckled.

"If you would like, Princess, we could go today. I must get to Diagon Alley in any case, so why not, as you say, 'kill two birds with one stone?'"

"Really? You mean right now?" Elsa asked, unable to contain the excitement in her voice.

"If, of course, it will be okay with your mother and father," Dumbledore replied.

Elsa looked to her mother and father with the hope that they would allow it. The King and Queen looked at each other again, wordlessly agreeing that it was indeed for the best. After all, the sooner Elsa could get familiar with the new world she was about to enter, the better. Both parents nodded their permission, causing Elsa's excitement level to soar even higher.

"Excellent!" boomed the Headmaster as he took a simple sock out from his robes and placed it on the center table. Taking out his wand, the Headmaster uttered one simple word, "_Portus._" Turning to Professor McGonagall, he asked, "Minerva, would you be willing to join us?"

The stern Professor, who had barely uttered a single word throughout the visit, declined. "As intriguing as that sound, Albus, I'm afraid I have much work back at Hogwarts to take care of. Besides, I'm not sure how much use I would be considering I hardly contributed here at all."

"Ah, my dear Minerva, you know the old saying. 'Two heads are better than one.' I would like to think the same applies even if only one head did much of the talking," Dumbledore continued to smile at his deputy.

"Yes, well I suppose you are right, Albus. I must go now, though. Your majesties, it has been an honor to have met you today. Princess Arendelle, I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts." The stern Professor made one last bow and with a crack, simply disappeared into thin air.

"Wow…" Elsa and Anna both said in unison as they stared at the spot where Professor McGonagall had been merely seconds ago. Dumbledore could never get enough of a young child's first reaction to magic.

"Yes, wow indeed. Now Princess Elsa, we must be on our way so if you would please grasp at the sock." Dumbledore instructed.

"Umm…okay." Elsa replied, unsure of what Dumbledore meant to do with a sock he had pulled out of his pocket. Dumbledore grasped at the other end of the sock and said his goodbyes to the remaining royals before stating what seemed to be a destination to nobody in particular.

"It has been a true pleasure and honor to have conversed with you this afternoon. I can assure you that I will have Princess Elsa back here by no later than seven o'clock tonight. Diagon Alley." With what felt like a hook pulling right behind her navel, Elsa suddenly saw the world spinning around her.

Meanwhile, in the sitting room of the Royal Arendelle Palace; the King, Queen, and youngest Princess observed as the Professor and Elsa seemed to vanish into thin air, similar to that of McGonagall minutes ago.

"Wow, magic is totally awesome!" exclaimed Anna.


	4. Diagon Alley

**Author's Note: **Wow, I am seriously flabbergasted by the response I have received! Twenty-five favorites and forty-five follows so far! Thanks so much for such a positive response, I am really grateful for your support!

I wanted to clear something up with you all right now, I was hoping to make it more evident in time, but there have been questions as to what exactly the timeline is, seeing as _Frozen_ is set in the 1800s and _Harry Potter _is set in the late 1990s. This story will be following the exact timeline that the _Harry Potter_ books followed. This means that Elsa was born in 1980, Anna in 1983. Hope this clears everything up!

On with the story!

**Chapter Three: Diagon Alley**

Landing with a hard thud on what seemed to be a wooden floor, Elsa made her best attempts at figuring out exactly where she was while also doing her best to overcome the dizziness that was plaguing her head. What the heck just happened? The last thing she remembered was taking hold of Professor Dumbledore's sock (Who walks around carrying a sock in their pocket?), then all of a sudden everything started spinning and going blurry. Her vision coming back into play, Elsa began to notice the details of the place she was in. It was a dimly lit bar or pub, one of the last places she expected to be when told she was going school shopping. Looking to her right, she noticed Professor Dumbledore smiling and chuckling lightly.

"Are you alright, Princess?" asked the Headmaster, "The first time is always difficult. You'll get used to it with experience."

Elsa just looked confused. "Professor, if you don't mind me asking…what just happened?"

"That, my dear Elsa was a Portkey." Noticing the child not looking any more enlightened, Dumbledore elaborated, "A Portkey is a form of magical transportation. It allows the near instantaneous transport of large groups of people to a pre-determined destination. In this case, that would be here at The Leaky Cauldron. Now, I would assume you would like to stand and continue our journey?" Dumbledore offered his hand in assistance to the young girl.

Noticing she was still sitting on the floor from her very un-princess-like landing, Elsa accepted the hand that Dumbledore had extended and was pulled up into a standing position. After a second, she realized that for the first time in years, she had actually touched someone! Fear began to run through her mind. What if she had just hurt Professor Dumbledore? Would he be able to fix it? Will he be mad at her? Will she not be allowed to go to Hogwarts. Tentatively, she raised her head in a small voice.

"P-Professor? Y-your hand…is it okay?" the child asked, doing her best to disguise the fear in her voice.

Dumbledore simply smiled, "I can assure you, Princess, that my hand is perfectly fine and functioning quite well. Something I am quite grateful of in my old age, if I may add," the Professor added, his eyes twinkling. Elsa's fears began to subside, before flaring up again at the realization of what she may have just implied.

"Oh, no Professor!" Elsa quickly replied, "It's has nothing to do with that at all, I was just—" Dumbledore, still smiling, simply held up a hand to silence her.

"It is no matter, Elsa, I am quite aware you did not mean to make any implications about my age. I am also aware that I am not as young as I once was, though I assure you that there is no shame in it. It has been quite an adventure, I daresay. Now, I assume you would want to get a move on with purchasing your school supplies?"

If Dumbledore had known what Elsa meant, he never mentioned it to her directly. Elsa simply nodded at Dumbledore's last question, and the two began to move deeper into the shabby pub. The place was filled with a wide variety of people, or at least what Elsa _thought_ were people. Some looked so odd that she wasn't quite sure. Some of these people were ones that Elsa didn't want to get caught staring at for too long, let alone actually get to know. Some of them just looked a little too shady for her opinion. A bald, toothless man behind the counter of the pub's bar noticed the two walking in and offered his greetings.

"Great Scott, if it isn't Albus Dumbledore himself! We 'aven't seen you here in such a long time, 'Eadmaster. The old usual, I presume?" the toothless man asked. Elsa wasn't surprised, what with the seemingly endless titles Dumbledore held, he was bound to be a well-known wizard.

"I'm afraid not, Tom," the Headmaster politely declined, "I have the fortunate duty of accompanying young Miss Arendelle here to purchase her school supplies,"

The wizard known as Tom shifted his gaze toward Elsa, flashing a toothless grin at the girl. "Ah! Your first year at 'Ogwarts, Miss?"

"Yes sir." Elsa replied in the most polite voice possible, trying not to sound too grimaced by the man's lack of teeth.

"You'll have a right fun time at 'Ogwarts, Miss. I know I did, I still remember goin' there as a boy. Those were great times, they were. And with good old Professor Dumbledore here, you'll be gettin' the best learnin' in all of Europe, I daresay! Mighty great wizard, this man is, not'in gets by 'im!" Tom said while attempting to polish one of his drink glasses with his own spit.

Sensing Elsa's discomfort with the man, Dumbledore made his best and politest attempts to keep going with their day. "I assume you, Tom, that I am not as perfect as you and many others have made me out to be. As much as I would love to stay and catch up with you, I'm afraid young Elsa and I here must be on our way. I'm sure you remember the sheer amount of items that have to be purchased for one's first year. Perhaps we will stop in for some food later today. Good day, Tom."

"Always the modest one, 'e is. Well you 'ave a jolly fun time in the Alley. Miss! Good day to you both, 'ope to see yous later!" Tom called as Dumbledore and Elsa made their way to the back door.

"He does have a tendency to make children uncomfortable, rest assured you are not the only one he's unintentionally frightened. He's a good man, though, and he does the absolute best to make sure his guests feel comfortable. Except of course, practice proper dental hygiene." Dumbledore told Elsa with a small chuckle. Elsa wondered if Dumbledore remembered a time when Tom actually had teeth to take care of.

"Professor? Where exactly are we?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, I am deeply sorry Elsa," Dumbledore apologized, "I forgot to mention exactly where we are going, forgive me if I have contributed to your confusion in any way. We are in London right now, about to enter Diagon Alley, where you will purchase your school supplies."

London. So that's where they were right now. Elsa couldn't believe it! Just yesterday, she had been confined to a single icy room in the Royal Palace, unable to go anywhere else for her own safety and everyone else's. Now all of a sudden she was in an entirely different country! The sense of freedom the girl had was almost too much for her to take.

Making their way out through the back door only caused Elsa's confusion to rise, for this was not exactly what she was expecting. All there seemed to be were a couple old trash bins and a brick wall, nothing else. Where were the places she was going to buy her books, robes, and magic wand? She looked at Dumbledore, who did not seem fazed at all by the lack of anything outside of the pub. In fact, it seemed as if this was a normal, everyday occurrence for the headmaster. Were situations like this normal in the wizard world?

Dumbledore, meanwhile simply took out his wand and tapped one of the bricks on the wall. Things suddenly began to make a whole lot more sense to the young princess as the wall immediately began to open up, revealing what looked like a colorful, vibrant street laid out in cobblestone. Elsa could not believe it, her jaw simply dropped in amazement. There was an entire street hidden behind a stone wall! If this was what magic involved, she couldn't wait to see what else was in store! Dumbledore smiled at the young girl's reaction, it was the same as every other child he'd revealed the street to.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Princess Elsa."

Diagon Alley. So that was what the street was called. Elsa was still in absolute shock at everything. So many shops with so many different things to buy! She could not keep her eyes on just one for more than a few seconds. The bookstore on her right looked like it packed as many tomes in there as the Royal Palace itself, while the tailor on her left displayed some of the prettiest clothes she had ever laid her eyes on. The joke shop down the street packed so many items that were bound to make her little sister laugh. Meanwhile, a shop called Quality Quidditch Supplies looked like it sold none other than broomsticks! If only she could bring one to school… But the place that seemed to attract Dumbledore's attention was the towering, stone building located at the very end of the alley. It was big, larger than any of the others, with the words 'Gringotts Bank' emblazoned in gold at the top. As they approached the building, Elsa noticed a short creature with a pointed nose and heavily wrinkled, scowling face. The creature was only about as tall as her little sister. From the mythology books she had read, Elsa figured that this couldn't be anything else but a goblin. The goblin bowed to the two as it opened the door to the bank for them. It was here where Elsa noticed what looked to be a poem written on the glass doors.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed  
__Of what awaits the sin of greed,  
__For those who take, but do not earn,  
__Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
__So if you seek beneath our floors  
__A treasure that was never yours,  
__Thief, you have been warned, beware  
__Of finding more than treasure, there._

(_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_, pages 72 and 73, USA first edition)

Elsa shuddered at the thought of what could happen to someone who was foolish enough to attempt to rob this bank. It was obvious that anyone who took the time to post something like that on their door meant business. Elsa followed Dumbledore into the banks main hall, a large room with a high ceiling and marble floors with goblin tellers conducting transactions with the many wizards present. As Dumbledore and Elsa got in the bank's line, Elsa suddenly remembered something.

"Umm, excuse me Professor?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, Elsa?"

"Umm…you see…well…I forgot to bring money with me. Everything just happened so fast and well…I'm sorry…"

As usual, Dumbledore only had a smile on his face as he again reassured the young princess, "That is quite alright, Princess. I must apologize, it was in my haste that you forgot to ask your parents for the means to pay for your school supplies. That will be no matter whatsoever, Hogwarts maintains a fund to help students pay for supplies that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. As Headmaster, I see no problem is using this fund to assist you for the day today. When I return you to your mother and father later, we can simply have them reimburse the school for the expenses."

Elsa sighed in relief. For a second she thought she would not be able to purchase anything for school. The thought of that scared her, again causing her fears and insecurities to intensify. Elsa just could not let this opportunity slip through the cracks. What other chance did she have?

Elsa was brought back to reality from her thoughts when she realized that it was finally their turn to see a bank teller. Elsa was a little worried now…she hoped she wouldn't do anything to offend or otherwise anger the goblin, they didn't look like the friendliest bunch. Walking up to the nearest available telling, Dumbledore stood tall and greeted the goblin in what Elsa viewed as a most abnormal way.

"Greetings, Master Goblin. May your gold and profits continue to flow," he said with a bow.

The goblin looked somewhat surprised to hear this, hesitating for only a moment before replying in a similar fashion, "We wish you the same, Headmaster Dumbledore. What may Gringotts do for you today?"

"There are two transactions I will need to complete today, Master Goblin," Dumbledore replied, never breaking eye contact with the teller, "The first of which is that I will require a withdrawal of 100 Galleons from the Hogwarts Student Fund vault so that young Miss Arendelle here may purchase her school supplies. Secondly, I will be withdrawing all of the contents from Vault 713."

This definitely caught Elsa's attention. Other than the fact that it was seemingly run by goblins, Elsa had no knowledge of the wizard world's banking system whatsoever. Come to think of it, she didn't even know much about the non-magical banks. But what more would you expect from an eleven year-old, even one who is a crown princess? Still, whenever someone wanted to withdraw _the entire contents_ of a bank vault, that had to be something big. Elsa could only imagine what could be in that vault.

"Very well, Headmaster. I will have Griphook escort you two down to both vaults." replied the goblin as another approached the two with a bow.

"Greetings Headmaster Dumbledore, may your profits flow freely," the goblin known as Griphook said. Dumbledore responded with another bow.

"May your gold continue to increase without limit, Master Griphook" the headmaster replied in the same manner as before.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Miss Arendelle; please follow me," Griphook stated as he took a lantern and began leading them toward the rear of the bank. Why the goblin had a lantern, Elsa didn't know. It wasn't like it was dark in here or anything. Elsa's question was soon answered as the goblin lead the two through a door from the hall into a dark and narrow passage that sloped downward. Using the light from the lantern, Griphook lead the two down the passageway until they stood at the side of a set of small railroad tracks. Griphook whistled and almost immediately, a cart came careening down the tracks, stopping right in front of the three.

"Please step aboard quickly," Griphook said to the two. Elsa and Dumbledore did so, settling themselves down in the rear row of the cart. Griphook took a seat in the front and the cart lurched off at what seemed to be breakneck speeds. Elsa was surprised, but thoroughly enjoyed the fast ride. It had been years since she had done something this fun and she just could not get enough of it. If only Anna were here, she could only imagine what her little sister would be screaming as the cart made its way through all the dips and turns on the track. All too soon, the cart made a stop in front of what looked to be a large vault.

"Vault number 530, Hogwarts Student Fund. Key please!" Griphook barked. Dumbledore handed Griphook a small golden key that the goblin used to unlock the vault door. As the door opened, Elsa gasped at the sheer amounts of gold, silver, and bronze inside. Though she was indeed royalty, she had never actually seen this much money in one place. Dumbledore stepped into the vault and carefully counted out one hundred of the gold coins and placing them into a small bag, before handing the bag to Elsa.

"For your supplies, my dear." smiled the Headmaster.

"T-thank you!" Elsa choked out. Never had she held one hundred gold coins in her hand before. Meanwhile, Griphook went to work locking the vault and the three again climbed into the small cart and headed off to the next vault, descending further into the depths of the bank. Stopping once again, Griphook called out.

"Vault 713!"

Elsa watched in fascination as Griphook took his claw and swiped it through a small opening in the vault door, similar to how one would swipe a credit card. Noticing Elsa's fascination, the goblin gave her a creepy grin and said, "Only a Gringotts goblin can do that. If anyone else tried, they would be sucked inside and trapped until one of us let them out."

Wow, the goblins really did mean business. The poem on the front door of the bank was _definitely_ not for show. Gulping, Elsa managed to ask, "How often do you check for people?"

"Oh, maybe once every ten or fifteen years," Griphook replied, his grin somehow intensifying. If there was anything that confirmed her feelings, this was it. Elsa _did not_ want to get on Gringotts' bad side.

Looking inside the vault, Elsa found herself quite under-whelmed with its contents. What she had expected to be a vault filled to the ceiling with diamonds, rubies, and other expensive goods was largely empty. If Dumbledore had not bent down and picked it up, Elsa would have totally missed the small, dirty package that was sitting in a dark corner of the vault. What could have been in there to warrant such a large amount of security?

"Professor," she asked, unsure if it was appropriate or not, "What's in there?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Alas, my dear, that is something I cannot tell you as it is a matter between myself and one of my closest friends." Noticing the expression on her face, Dumbledore continued. "But please do not hesitate to ask any question should it come to your mind, Elsa. Curiosity is not a sin, and should never be treated as such. Besides, it is my job as an educator to answer such questions and it is one I quite enjoy, if I may say so."

Hearing this made Elsa feel much better. She had so many questions about how the wizard world worked, and she was hoping she had not already annoyed Dumbledore with the amount she had already asked. But here he was actually welcoming her to ask as much as she wanted! If this was how Dumbledore would be like at school, she was sure that Hogwarts was going to be just as much fun as everyone had said. With yet another wild cart ride, Elsa and Dumbledore found themselves back in the massive front hall of the bank. Thanking Griphook, the two exited back into the busy alley. Elsa's excitement grew a thousand fold, now the real fun began! Not that the Gringotts cart ride wasn't, but now she would get everything she needed to be a witch! How exciting was that?

"Now Elsa," Dumbledore said, again shaking her from her thoughts, "I believe our best course of action will be to first stop at Madam Malkin's for your school robes. Madam Malkin will have to tailor these specifically to your measurements, so while she is busy, we can take care of everything else."

Elsa had no problem with that, and soon the two were entering Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Looking around, Elsa saw the widest and (To her) wildest variety of clothing she had ever seen in her life. For some reason, wizards and witches seemed to have an obsession with robes, and Elsa could not for the life of her figure out why. But before Elsa had an opportunity to really think about the question, an old plump woman came from the back of the shop to greet the two, slightly freezing for a moment when she saw Professor Dumbledore standing there with Elsa.

"Why if it isn't the one and only Albus Dumbledore himself! Welcome, welcome; it has certainly been too long since we've seen you here last!" the lady gushed as she welcomed Dumbledore into her shop

"My dear Marjorie, it really is wonderful to see you again, I do wish I had the opportunity to visit the alley more often. I must say it has been nice reconnecting with old friends. I am actually here escorting this lovely young lady," he said as he gestured to Elsa, "to purchase her school supplies."

It was at that point that the lady known as Marjorie noticed Elsa standing there. "Well, welcome to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, I am Madam Marjorie Malkin. May I ask your name, young lady?"

"Elsa, Elsa Arendelle." she replied quietly. She didn't want to mention anything about her title around here, nobody needed to know who she exactly was right now. She was grateful that Dumbledore had, for the most part, been thinking along the same lines.

"Well, Miss Arendelle, if you would simply step up on the stool here, we can take your measurements and get your Hogwarts robes done by the end of the day," Madam Malkin instructed as she gestured to a stool in front of three mirrors at the other end of the small shop. Elsa did as Madam Malkin asked, stretching her arms out as necessary and allowing the older woman to take her measurements. In just about ten minutes, Madam Malkin told Elsa that she was done and that her robes would be ready by the end of the day. Thanking Madam Malkin, Dumbledore and Elsa were about to exit the shop when a blonde-haired, grey-eyed boy entered the shop by himself. Noticing Elsa and Dumbledore, he immediately turned his attention to the girl.

"Hogwarts too?" he asked, not even bothering with introductions.

"Umm…yes. You?" Elsa asked, a little nervous by the boy's upfront demeanor.

"Ah, I see we will be classmates then. I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. You are?" he asked as he held out his hand.

"Arendelle. Elsa Arendelle," she replied as she lightly took Malfoy's hand. She noticed Malfoy's expression grow slightly dimmer.

"Arendelle…I don't recognize that surname. Are you from here? Who are your mother and father?" Malfoy asked with a slightly aggressive tone to his voice.

"I'm not from England, my mother and father are not a witch and wizard," she replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She still didn't want to draw attention to herself, so she left out the fact that her mother and father with the king and queen of a small nation. It was a minor detail nobody really needed to know yet. Especially her future classmates.

But to Malfoy, it seemed that this was the farthest thing from normal in the world, for at the moment Elsa told him of her parentage, he jerked his hand away from her and immediately began wiping it on his robes, as if he had just touched something that could cause him to contract a deadly disease. In a loud voice, as if he wanted everyone within earshot to know, he yelled out, "You mean you're a mudblood?"

Elsa was confused. A what? Mudblood? How could somebody have mud in their blood. Elsa wasn't a scientist, but she was quite sure that wasn't physically possible for a living person to have mud running through their veins. At Malfoy's proclamation, Dumbledore moved to step in and mitigate the situation, but was beaten to it by Madam Malkin.

"How dare you use that FILTHY word in my shop, you incredibly rude and thoughtless boy! Language like that is not welcome here. Get out and never come back!" she said as the seized Malfoy by his collar and literally threw him out the front door. Incensed, Malfoy gave the three of the one last dirty glare before stalking off in the alley, presumably to find his mother and father to complain about what had just happened. Elsa just stood there confused. What had just happened? It was obvious to her that the word 'mudblood' was considered extremely rude by at least some people in wizard society. Speaking up, Elsa decided to figure out what exactly happened.

"Excuse me, Madam Malkin?" she asked, noticing the older woman still breathing heavily as the thoughts of what just happened ran through her mind. "What just happened?"

Madam Malkin turned her attention to Elsa, smiling as she attempted to explain to the girl what exactly went down. "Elsa, first of all I would like to apologize for what just happened. You shouldn't have to face that when just shopping for school supplies. A mudblood is an extremely foul term for someone whose parents are both not a witch or wizard. The term means basically means that those who have muggle parents have 'dirty blood.'"

"Muggle?" Elsa asked, confused by all the new terminology.

"It's a term for non-magical people." Madam Malkin replied, still smiling at the young girl.

"Even in this day and age, there are sadly those who still believe that their blood status makes them better that others," Dumbledore stepped in. "It is an old, antiquated notion only held by those who are resistant to change and are insecure about themselves. There was a time when the use of that word was rampant and without consequence. Those days are far behind us now, and most people can see that it is not the blood in you that defines you, but your own character, traits, and talents. One perfect example is Madam Malkin here. She is a muggle-born, and makes the best clothes I have ever seen and wore." Dumbledore smiled at the clothier.

Madam Malkin knelt down and got on eye level with Elsa. "Elsa, you do not have dirty blood. I can see it right now that you will be an amazing witch. I reacted the way I did because when I was a girl, the hatred against muggle-borns was still very much pronounced and I just cannot stand to see a child treated in such a way. Success will just come to you, I'm certain," smiled the proprietor. Elsa couldn't help smiling as well.

"Thanks, Madam Malkin," replied the eleven year-old as she surprised herself by hugging the shop owner. Taken by surprise, Madam Malkin responded a split-second later by hugging the girl back.

"Please, call me Marjorie from here on out," Madam Malkin insisted. Elsa nodded in agreement.

"Well, that was quite an…eventful visit," Dumbledore said, "but we do need to be on our way. Marjorie, it was wonderful seeing you again. I do hope our next meeting is not interrupted in such a way."

"Albus, you know I always enjoy seeing you, you are always welcome here. As goes for you, Elsa. Remember what I told you." the proprietor said with a smile on her face to the two. Smiling in return, the professor and soon-to-be student left the store.

Fortunately, Elsa's other stops for school supplies did not involve her being called dirty for having two muggles as parents. If Elsa was in awe when she walked through the alley earlier, it was nothing compared to how she felt when she actually got to take a look inside the shops. Her suspicions about the book shop, Flourish and Blotts, were confirmed when she walked through it: There were definitely _way_ more books here than there were in the Royal Palace. In addition to her school books, Elsa picked up copies of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ and _Defensive Magical Theory_, she was sure to enjoy reading these in her spare time. Reading was one of the few things she could do when stuck all alone in her room all those years. Buying her potions ingredients definitely grossed her out. She was by far not used to seeing piles of eyes lying in a corner, seemingly staring back at her. Meanwhile, having a telescope was something Elsa was really excited about, she had always loved looking up at the stars. Elsa was definitely surprised when Dumbledore insisted they make a stop at the Magical Menagerie for Elsa to buy a pet. Twenty minutes later, Elsa walked out carrying a snowy white Aegean kitten that had refused to leave her side from the moment she entered the store.

"I believe we only have your wand left." Dumbledore stated as he kept track of what was being purchased.

Elsa's excitement increased a thousand fold: This was truly the moment she had been waiting for. Getting her magic wand. Elsa was so giddy with excitement that she couldn't stop shaking. She was going to finally get a wand! Dumbledore and Elsa approached a small shop with fading gold lettering above it. 'Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.'

"Wow, that's a _long_ time." Elsa thought.

Dumbledore and Elsa entered the shop and were greeted by an old, gray-haired, feeble-looking man who slid into the room on a ladder attached to a track. Looking directly at Elsa, he said, "I had a feeling you would be visiting me today, Princess Arendelle."

Wait…how did this guy know her? How did he know she was going to be here? How did he know that she was a princess? All these questions were racing through her mind. This guy was creepy, and her excitement suddenly turned into nervousness. Meanwhile, the old man turned his attention to Dumbledore.

"Well I'll be, Albus Dumbledore! If I remember correctly, Dragon Heartstring, Beechwood, twelve inches, very pliable?" the man asked. Elsa added even more confusion to her nervousness.

"You are correct as always, Garrick," Dumbledore said with yet another smile. "How you manage to remember every wand is always beyond me."

"As much as I would like to tell you, Albus, I'm afraid I cannot divulge a trade secret," Ollivander replied, a mysterious smile on his face. "Now, let's get this young lady here her first wand, shall we? My name is Garrick Ollivander, I am the owner and operator here. My family has been in the business of wandlore for a very long time, I can assure you that you are getting the best anywhere. Now, before we begin, I have to inform you that it is indeed the wand that chooses the wizard, or in your case, witch. We'll find the wand that's best for you, I'm certain."

While Ollivander was giving his small speech, a tape measure similar to that of Madam Malkin's began taking Elsa's arm measurements _on its own_. Once it was done, Ollivander asked, "Now, which is your wand arm?"

Wand arm? Elsa had never held a wand in her life, how was she to know this? But she responded, "Umm, well I write with my right hand…"

Ollivander immediately went back into the shop and returned with a long wooden box. Opening it, he held the wand out toward the young girl. "Twelve and a quarter inches, unicorn core, surprisingly swishy. Simply give it a wave" stated the wandmaker. Elsa tentatively held out her right hand and gave the wand a small wave. Absolutely nothing. Ollivander took the wand back and returned a few seconds later with yet another.

"Ten and three-quarter inches, elm, phoenix feather. Unyielding," stated the wandmaker as he handed the wand to the young girl. Elsa again gave the wand a wave, but only a few faint sparks shot out. Ollivander again took the wand from the girl, hurrying off to find another one that may suit the girl. Returning, he handed Elsa yet another wand.

"Thirteen inches, ebony, dragon heartstring. Supple." Elsa moved to take the wand with some nervousness now. What if no wand chose her? What is this was all a sham and she would have to return to her icy prison until something else came about, if it ever did? She didn't want that to happen, she just _needed_ to find a wand that worked.

"Well…third time is a charm, right?" Elsa thought to herself. With that, she gave the wand a wave and an immediate feeling of warmth ran up her arm as if she had just stepped out into the sun from a dark, cold, and icy room. Red and gold sparks were shooting out from her wand all the way up to the ceiling of the store. Behind the counter, Ollivander was clapping as Dumbledore stood there smiling brightly at the spectacle before them. It seemed Elsa had finally found her wand at last.

"Well Princess, it looks as if that wand has found you worthy of being its handler. Treat it well and you will go on to do amazing things." Ollivander proclaimed. Elsa grinned, _now_ she truly was a witch. If only she could own a broomstick, then the image would be complete. Sadly, that would have to wait until next year. Paying eight galleons for her wand, Elsa and Dumbledore left as Ollivander bowed them from his shop.

"I think we have time for a bite to eat before I bring you home, would you say?" Dumbledore asked. Elsa nodded, realizing just how hungry she was. With a quick stop at Madam Malkin's to pick up Elsa's school robes, the two made their way back up the alley to The Leaky Cauldron. Sitting down at a table inside, the two were quickly helped by Tom and were soon dining away on the surprisingly good food that came from the grubby pub. It was at this time that Dumbledore approached Elsa with a somewhat personal question.

"Elsa, if you do not mind me asking, is there some sort of tension between yourself and your sister? I noticed you didn't seem to be too happy for her to be around earlier when we were meeting with your mother and father." Dumbledore asked, trying not to pry too much.

Looking up at Dumbledore from her fish and chips, Elsa struggled to answer that question. Yes, there was tension between herself and her sister, sadly. It wasn't like she wished it to be that way, of course, but sadly there were things that had to be done. Elsa could not begin to describe just how much she missed Anna. Her sister had been her not only her best friend, but also her _only_ friend in life. Growing up in a Royal Palace meant that one didn't get a chance to socialize with many children outside of royalty, and most of those children were pretentious snobs that Elsa didn't want to associate with anyway. Despite their poor judgment on her powers, Elsa knew her mother and father had done a good job at raising the two princesses with humility and respect for others not as fortunate as them.

Dumbledore noticed her hesitation and began to back off, not wanting to frighten the young girl. "Elsa, if there is anything you did not want to tell me, you do not have to. In fact, perhaps it would be a good idea to forget that I even asked in the first place."

Elsa was torn. A part of her needed to let out all the sadness, anger, and frustration that had built up over the years. Sadness at losing her sister, anger towards her mother and father for simply locking her away, and frustration with herself for not finding a way to control her powers so that she could be somewhat _normal_ again. With a resigned sigh, Elsa finally responded to Dumbledore.

"No, professor, it's perfectly fine. It's a long story," she said, sadness creeping into her voice.

Years of working with children had taught Dumbledore exactly when a child needed his support and compassion. This was one of those times. Looking Elsa directly in the eye, the Headmaster reassured Elsa that everything would be alright. Raising his wand, the Headmaster cast a spell that left Elsa with a questioning glance.

"Simply a privacy charm, my dear. I assume you would not want others to know about this?" asked Dumbledore.

Nodding at Dumbledore's question, Elsa began her story, leaving out no detail about how all of her powers came to fruition and why things turned out the way they were. How she and her little sister were the best of friends, how they always used to play together with the help of her powers, and how she had nearly killed her little sister in that accident. Elsa went on to explain the removal of her sister's memories and the isolation that her parents had imposed on her. It all came out, everything. The story, the facts, the feelings that came with all of these events. By the end of the story, tears were streaming down Elsa's face. Three years of pent-up emotion came back to the surface, almost too much for the eleven year-old to handle.

Dumbledore could not believe the magnitude of the story he had just heard. He knew Elsa was a special case, but he had no idea just how much of a special case she was. To think that a child so young had gone through so much was horrifying to him. To top if all off, after her horrifying experience three years ago, her parents simply decided to lock their daughter away and hope everything would simply work itself out! This, combined with only partially removing the memories of their younger daughter would serve to traumatize both of the children. What kind of parents were these people? Not only allowing but encouraging a girl to completely shut her sister out was a horrible idea. Dumbledore felt a twinge of emotion and guilt at that thought, that was _exactly_ what he had done to his little sister many years ago, how he wished he could have just one more conversation with Ariana and hug her one more time. Dumbledore was not going to let Elsa make the same mistake.

"Elsa, I cannot begin to thank you for the amount of trust you must have had to share this with me," Dumbledore said in an attempt to comfort the child. "I am deeply touched that you would share something so personal with me, especially considering how short we have known each other."

Elsa looked up. Instead of the anger, yelling, and insults she was expecting; here was the Headmaster actually comforting and assuring her that everything would be alright! Why would he do that? Couldn't he see just much of a monster she was? She nearly killed her little sister, for Christ's sake! How could anyone feel badly for her after that?

"I would like to tell you a story, Elsa. A story about a young, foolish boy many years ago," Dumbledore continued. "Once upon a time, there were three siblings who were as close as ever in their youngest years. They loved each other dearly and were practically inseparable. So much so that when their sister was violently attacked in her sixth year of age, the two brothers took it upon themselves to care for her. They sound as if they were both good brothers, wouldn't you say Elsa?"

Elsa nodded. She knew she would do the exact same for Anna if she wasn't afraid of her own powers.

"But then, in his eleventh year," Dumbledore told Elsa, "the eldest brother received a letter that would change his life forever. This letter was the same as the one you received a week ago. Yes, the eldest brother was accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and soon left his family for the first time ever to learn the ways of magic. Years later, while on holiday from school, the eldest brother met another young man who was very cunning and persuasive. The young man managed to convince the eldest brother that wizards were indeed superior to muggles, something you already know is false. The eldest brother soon developed a craving and lust for power that was unable to be satisfied, and soon began to ignore and neglect his younger siblings, particularly his younger sister, who was so damaged by the attack in her youth that she was unable to properly practice magic afterwards."

Elsa shuddered to think about how someone could be affected so much that they would not be able to learn how to control their own magic. She had only known she was a witch for one week, but even the thought of not being able to practice witchcraft was already too much for her to bear.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, forged on with the story. "The foolish boy and his new friend decided that they would take a trip around the world together, learning the ways of magic on all parts of the planet. But shortly after these plans began to be made, the boy's younger brother confronted him about his ignorance and neglect toward his family, particularly his younger sister who required special care. The younger brother did this while the boy's friend was present. The boy's friend then used a horrible curse on the younger brother, resulting in a three-way duel between the two brothers and the eldest's friend. The two brothers' sister attempted to put a stop to the duel, but she was hit by a stray curse and was killed instantly. Nobody knew who fired the fatal curse."

Elsa noticed a single tear escape Dumbledore's left eye as he told her the last part of the story. Dumbledore sighed deeply before continuing, "The foolish boy I speak of was myself. My lust and greed for power consumed me and made me neglect what was most important. In the end, my sister Ariana died because of my foolishness."

Seeing the Headmaster in the state that he was, Elsa immediately got up and engulfed the older man in a hug, not noticing the look of surprise that came across Dumbledore's face. Like Elsa, he too could not help but feel that he was a monster when he thought of the fateful incident many years ago.

"But Professor," Elsa protested, loosening her grip and looking Dumbledore in the eye, "That was only an accident. It's not like you purposely killed your sister!"

"Exactly," Dumbledore said, regaining his composure. "indeed was indeed an accident, but still one that was brought on by my absolute foolishness. You, however, have done nothing wrong. You were merely making your little sister happy when you accidentally hit her with that beam of ice. I can even see right now that you indeed miss your little sister and wish you could be on good terms again, am I correct?"

Elsa simply nodded. She wanted her little sister back more than anything else in the world.

"The key to the control of an elemental's powers is _love_. Love is a very powerful magic, one of its most ancient forms. It can do wondrous and powerful things, as far as even stopping death itself. It can even mend a frozen heart."

The realization suddenly hit Elsa. Of course, why couldn't she see it before? Before the accident that almost killed Anna, when had Elsa lost control of her powers? Never! The powers always worked when she wanted them to! But after…everything she touched turned to ice. The meaning of what the Troll King had told her many years ago was now as clear as day. Fear was her enemy, and that was exactly what she had been practicing for the past three years. She even noticed now that she had not frozen anything all day!

"The reason I tell you my story," Dumbledore concluded, "is so that you do not make the same mistake that I once did. A sibling is one of the greatest and most loyal and devoted friends one could have. Not one day goes by where I don't think of Ariana and how much I wish I could have just one more conversation with her. Don't shut Anna out, you need her just as much as she needs you."

Dumbledore's story had hit home with Elsa. Her parent's decision to have her locked away had actually been a hindrance than a help, confirming what she had been suspecting for some time now. Elsa was determined to change things now. She wanted her life to go back to the way it used to be, the way that it should have been all this time. She needed her best friend back. Anna needed her older sister back. She knew this for so long, but the fear of her powers and her parents' stupid decision just always got in the way. But no more. This was her life, these were her powers. Only she had a say in how both were going to develop, and her sister was going to be at her side the whole time if she had anything to say about it. Damn anyone who would try to get in her way!

Noticing the expression on the young girl's face change from one of fear to one of hope, Dumbledore decided it was likely time to bring the girl back home. Withdrawing the same sock from his pocket, he cancelled the privacy charm and offered the sock portkey to the young girl.

"It looks about time for me to get you back home, Elsa. I believe there are some familial relationships that need to be mended," he said with a serene smile returning to his face.

Taking the colorful sock offered by the headmaster, Elsa again experienced the familiar feeling of a hook behind her navel, bringing her back to the Royal Palace of Arendelle. But this time, she returned with a newfound sensation of hope, optimistic about the future of her sister and family.

Despite the whirlwind sensation of the portkey threatening to make her sick, Elsa couldn't help but smile excitedly throughout the entire ride.


	5. Reopening Old Doors

**Chapter Four: Reopening Old Doors**

Again landing with a hard thud on the ground, Elsa shook her head and tried to clear her vision and regain her composure following her second portkey ride. Despite his genius, it seemed Dumbledore had for some reason simply overlooked the fact that the two had just been eating right before he activated the portkey to take her back home. The eleven year-old grumbled lightly, already convinced that she would much prefer traveling the muggle way.

Looking up from her position on the ground, Elsa again saw Dumbledore standing with an outstretched arm and a smile on his face. How he was able to stay standing throughout all of that, Elsa would never know. Grasping Dumbledore's outstretched hand, Elsa pulled herself into a standing position while attempting to keep down the little of her dinner that she had touched that evening. Muttering a quick thanks to the headmaster, Elsa looked around and saw that the two had indeed returned to Arendelle. Nervousness and fear again began to creep into her veins. In just a few minutes, she would be having her first conversation with her little sister in three years. Elsa was terrified. What if Anna didn't forgive her. What if Anna didn't want to speak to her anymore. Elsa couldn't bear the thought, she loved her little sister dearly and was just beginning to realize how much of an idiot she had been the past three years. Sure it hadn't been her fault, but would Anna see it that way? Then came the issue of Anna's memories…Dumbledore hadn't said anything, but she was certain the old man was planning some way to restore her little sister's full memories, including the full memory of the incident. Would Anna see her big sister the same way again?

In her brooding, Elsa had failed to realize that she had been walking with Dumbledore to the front of the palace gates. Shortly before entering, Dumbledore stopped and turned to Elsa with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" he simply asked.

Elsa couldn't respond for a second, but it seemed they both knew the answer to that question.

"She won't hate you, nor will be think of you as a monster," Dumbledore told the girl, as if he had read her mind. "I was able to see earlier, your sister loves you more than anything else, and desperately wants you back, just as much as you want her. I think all you need to worry about right now are the amount of snowmen she will no doubt want you to build later on," the headmaster concluded with a small chuckle.

Despite her sadness and nervousness, Elsa couldn't help but smile and giggle at Dumbledore's statement. Yes, that was always the one thing Anna could never give up on, snowmen. Elsa had no idea where her little sister got the fascination from. Perhaps on a really subconscious level, Anna still remembered…

"I believe I will allow you to lead the way, my dear. You likely know this castle much better than I," Dumbledore smiled.

Dumbledore and Elsa strolled up to the front doors of the palace, Dumbledore holding the door open for Elsa as they both entered., Elsa leading her headmaster to where her mother and father were likely to be. As they continued their journey through the palace, Elsa felt a small pang of guilt as she realized just exactly where they were, her nervousness growing a hundred-fold. The main hall, a place in the palace she had not set foot in for years, a place all too familiar to her in her nightmares. This was the very place where her life, as well as Anna's, had changed those three years ago. The very room where she almost killed her sister. With her nerves already going haywire, Elsa felt a surge of panic and distress as she went deeper and deeper into the room. Dumbledore, noticing the all-too-familiar signs of a child's panic attack, quickly stepped toward Elsa in an attempt to comfort and calm the child down. Before he had a chance, however, Elsa had already collapsed to the floor, curling up in a fetal position as the events of that one fateful night came rushing back to her like a river flowing rapidly in the springtime.

"Anna…please wake up. ANNA…PLEASE! WAKE UP! MAMA! PAPA! HELP!" the child screamed in agony as the flashback became all too much for her to handle. In her panic, she had barely noticed that numerous royal servants; as well as her mother, father, and sister; had rushed to her side in an attempt to calm her down. Seeing her little sister standing there with a look of abject horror on her face was the tipping point for the snow princess. It was the last thing the eleven year-old saw before everything went black, the floor around her freezing with ice.

* * *

"There is nothing to worry about. She is merely asleep and will awake later."

Looking up from the young princess who now lay safely in her bed, Dumbledore stowed his wand back into his pocket and turned to face the girl's parents, cancelling the diagnostic and monitoring charms he had been running a few seconds ago. Both parents sighed in relief at the news that their eldest daughter would be okay and that this was just a one-time occurrence. Or so they hoped.

"I believe the best thing for us to do is to leave her to rest, she has been through too much this day already. Though I must ask, your majesties, what may have caused her to have such a reaction at that particular place and time?" the headmaster asked.

The King and Queen looked at each other apprehensively, as if debating whether to answer Dumbledore's question. Finally, the two sighed collectively as they told Dumbledore of what had happened three years ago, not knowing that Elsa had done the same less than an hour prior. Dumbledore sat back in his conjured chair, listening to everything the two parents had to say. Everything matched the tale that Elsa had told him earlier, and he found his anger toward the two in front of him growing again as the two parents confessed of their flawed parenting to the headmaster. However, upon closer inspection, he saw the unmistakable sign of guilt in the parent's eyes. Both had apparently realized that their actions were the cause to blame for their daughters' problems. As the King and Queen tearfully concluded the story that he already knew far too well for his liking, Dumbledore decided that there was no better time for action than the present.

Looking both parents in the eyes, Dumbledore began, "I must say right now that I cannot begin to describe how incorrect and damaging your actions have been to both of your daughters. You see, Elsa told me the exact same story not even one hour ago."

Both parents were shocked at this news. Why would their daughter tell someone she hardly knew about everything that happened? Dumbledore, sensing their impending question, answered it right away.

"I would assume the reason she told me straight away about the past three horrific years was because she simply saw the magical world as her only escape from an existence that was sure to get the better of her eventually. I must say that I am glad this issue has been brought to somebody's attention sooner rather than later. I fear what the outcome may have been had Elsa continued carrying this burden for years…" Dumbledore trailed off, looking sadly at the young, sleeping girl that had gone through horrors that one her age should have never experienced.

"I have no doubt that the two of you were doing what you thought was best, and I know for a fact that you love both of your daughters dearly and would never do anything to intentionally bring them harm. However, your mistakes have taken heavy tolls on both of your children. Your eldest has been practically imprisoned in this very room for the past three years, with no real help as to learning to control her powers." Seeing that the King and Queen were about to object, Dumbledore held up a hand to silence them.

"I'm aware you had no knowledge on how to control those powers, but your lack of understanding was your biggest blunder here. From what both Elsa and you have said, you encouraged her to bottle up her emotions and never express them like any person should. This is a mistake for any person, let alone a child with unique powers that are heavily connected to her emotions. Eventually, that bottle burst and you get what you saw today," Dumbledore explained.

The King and Queen, meanwhile, simply sat there and took it all in. What had they done to their daughters? Those two children were the greatest and most precious things in their lives, and the King and Queen had mistreated them horribly. Despite their royal status and honor, the two felt more like students being punished under Dumbledore's gaze.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, continued with his lecture. "As for your youngest child, the fact that her memories of her older sister were only partially removed served to traumatize her greatly when all of a sudden, her only friend in her life had, without notice, stopped talking to her. I want you to imagine, all of a sudden, your best friend not wanting to talk with you without explanation. How do you think you would react?"

The two royals did not answer that question. Both knew exactly what their reaction would be.

"There is also the matter of her mental health regarding the memory removal, known to us wizards as obliviation. You see, when a memory is modified in a person; the memory itself is not removed. Rather, the brain's access to that memory is simply blocked. In times of extreme stress, the obliviation can be 'burned through,' so to speak. This would, naturally, cause a lot of problems," the headmaster continued.

"So what should be done about that?" the King nervously asked. He was afraid there was only one answer, which Dumbledore confirmed.

"The only suitable solution would be for someone to restore your youngest daughter's full memories, including the unfortunate incident that was the cause of all of this. She may struggle a little with the sudden memory restoration, but will be able to cope. On the other hand, if she were to burn through the obliviation herself, this would cause permanent brain damage," Dumbledore explained with a grave tone at the end.

The King and Queen, meanwhile, continued to come to grips with what they could have possibly subjected their youngest child to. How could they live with themselves if Anna ended up with permanent brain damage because of their foolish mistakes?

"For the past three years, the divide in your entire family has simply grown with the neglect you have shown your children," Dumbledore continued. "Your eldest feels as if she is a monster and you have inadvertently supported this notion by your actions up to this point. Meanwhile, your youngest is lonely and lost, constantly wondering why her best friend left her out in the cold." Dumbledore spared no criticisms, wanting the two parents to truly realize what they had done to their children. The King and Queen, meanwhile, shed many tears at what Dumbledore had just told them. Both could not believe what they had caused their two daughters to go through. Dumbledore took pity on the two royals.

"Your majesties, I say this not to shame you or to make you feel guilty for what has happened. As I said previously, I truly do think that you believed you were acting for the best, and I can see now that you have recognized the error of your ways. What I want you both to realize is that it is not too late to make things right again. This family can be mended, it just needs some time and work from everyone in this family, and it begins with the both of you," the headmaster concluded.

As if on cue, the little girl in the room began to stir and wake up. The three adults rushed to the girl's side, all with a great amount of concern. Opening her eyes, Elsa saw her mother and father on either side of her bed, looking at her in concern. Dumbledore, meanwhile, stood off to the side, casually observing the scene.

"Elsa," the Queen exclaimed, "you're awake! How do you feel?"

The sudden noise from her mother had took Elsa quite by surprise, so it was to be expected that the young girl cringed at her mother's voice. This certainly didn't make her headache any better. Finally coming to her senses, the girl replied, "Like I've been hit by a giant boulder. What happened?" the child asked in confusion.

The King and Queen glanced at each other apprehensively before the King responded, "You had a panic attack, dear. You were in the main hall, screaming quite loudly. You gave all of us a fright…"

All of a sudden, the memory of her episode a few hours prior came back to her, and the young girl curled into herself in embarrassment. How could she let herself go like that? After years of being taught to conceal her emotions instead of feel them, she had to have a meltdown right in the middle of the palace with everyone watching? Elsa again looked up and her mother and father, expecting both to be extremely disappointed with her lack of control. Instead, all she saw were the continued looks of concern and care.

"Mother, Father; I am so sorry! I don't know why—"

"No, Elsa." her father interrupted her, "_we're_ sorry."

This statement confused the young princess. Why were her mother and father apologizing to her? They weren't the ones that lost control of their emotions right in the middle of the palace. Her confusion mixing with the headache that lingered from her previous episode resulted in the little princess uttering a very un-princess-like, "Huh?"

"Elsa," her mother took over, "It is us that need to apologize to you. Your father and I have been absolutely horrible parents to both you and Anna over the past few years. Instead of actually trying to help you with your special powers, we simply left you on your own to deal with it yourself with no love or support from us. For that, we are so, so, sorry." Tears streamed down her mother's face as she said this.

"I know we don't deserve it, Elsa, but could you ever find it in your heart to forgive us?" her father asked, his eyes showing just how little of his daughter's forgiveness he felt he deserved.

Elsa's confusion and headache, meanwhile, grew. Her parents were apologizing to her? What had happened all of a sudden? It suddenly grew on her: Dumbledore must have spoken to them! Elsa inwardly smiled, it looked like her family was on track to returning to the way things used to be, they way they _should_ have been all along. Looking at both her mother and father, Elsa gestured for both of them to come closer. Both parents did so, each sitting on opposite sides of Elsa on her bed. Elsa reached both arms out and wrapped one each around her mother and father.

"Mama, Papa. It's okay, I forgive you. I love you both," the eleven year-old proclaimed, doing her best to hug both her mother and father at the same time. Elated, the King and Queen swept their eldest daughter up into a group hug. Elsa felt as if her heart had grown ten sizes in that moment alone. She was certain that children her age would be embarrassed to be cuddled by their parents in this way, but after the last three years, Elsa would welcome it wholeheartedly. The three stayed that way for some time, tears of pain and joy escaping as all worked through three years of sadness and difficulty. This was a new beginning for all, and there was no way they would let it go to waste.

Finally disentangling themselves from their group hug, Elsa for the first time noticed Dumbledore standing there, casually observing the room itself in what looked to be great detail.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Elsa lightly yelled as she noticed him there, "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you earlier!"

Dumbledore smiled down at the young girl, "I assure you, Elsa, it is quite alright. I'd imagine you had some other issues on your mind. I've simply been observing the upholstery in your room, and I must admit that I find these patterns quite interesting…" the headmaster commented as he continued to observe the carpets with great detail. Elsa stifled a small giggle into her palm; if this was how Dumbledore was at school, she would definitely have a fun time.

"Well, seeing as Elsa here seems to be in a good condition, I believe I must be taking my leave as of now," Dumbledore said. "Your majesties, I will be in contact shortly regarding the restoration operation, hopefully we can have it taken care of in just a few days."

Shaking hands with the headmaster, the King replied, "It will surely be no problem, the sooner the better."

Dumbledore turned his attention back to the girl in the bed. "Elsa, it has truly been a pleasure meeting you and getting to know you. I quite enjoyed our excursion to Diagon Alley today," he said as he held out his hand to the young girl.

"Thank you, Professor. For everything," Elsa replied. Surprising the old man, Elsa did not take his hand but rather jumped out of her bed and gave the headmaster a hug. Dumbledore returned the hug with a smile on his face.

"Remember, you are who you make yourself out to be," he said as Elsa ended their hug. Smiling, Elsa nodded up toward the old man, confirming that she indeed understood what he meant. Stepping toward the center of the room, Dumbledore snapped his fingers and in a moment, was gone.

"What did Professor Dumbledore mean by 'restoration operation?'" Elsa asked her parents right after Dumbledore disappeared.

The two parents again gave each other a look, debating on whether to explain this to their oldest daughter. Deciding that being forthcoming was the best solution, the King began to explain what Dumbledore had meant.

"Sweetie, Professor Dumbledore thinks that it would be best for the entire family if Anna's full memories were to be restored. Your mother and I agree; after Dumbledore explained everything, the best idea would be to have your little sister know exactly what happened.

Elsa again felt nervous at this thought, she was still unsure of how Anna would react once she knew what her older sister was capable of. But Professor Dumbledore seemed like a very smart wizard, and if he thought the best idea was to restore Anna's memories, who was she to object? Seeing the look of nervousness on their daughter's face, the King and Queen swept their daughter up in another group hug.

"Elsa, look at me," her father asked. Looking at her father straight in the eyes, Elsa listened as her father reassured her of her worries. "Anna has always looked up to you. She loves you so much, and misses you dearly. She is not going to think any different of you after she gets her full memories back. In fact, she'll probably keep badgering you to show off your powers," her father said with a chuckle. Elsa giggled as well, that did sound like a very Anna-like thing to do.

"Sweetheart, you've had a long day. You need to rest," Elsa's mother told her firmly, leaving no doors open for discussion. Elsa simply nodded, realizing just how tired she was. Feeling her heart tingle in happiness as both her mother and father gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead, Elsa drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

The next couple days went by very slowly for Elsa, who had returned to her normal routine of lazing around her room and doing nearly nothing the entire day. How she hated this, especially after her incredibly awesome trip to Diagon Alley just days prior. Elsa sighed and figured the old saying was true: Once you have gotten a taste of freedom, it's impossible to go back to being a slave. Or in her case, a prisoner. At least it wouldn't be for much longer; her parents had decided that as soon as Anna's memories were restored, Elsa would be allowed to move back into the room the two sisters had once shared together.

"_That's if she still wants anything to do with me after all this…"_ the Princess mused. Despite the repeated assurances from Dumbledore and her parents, Elsa was still quite worried that Anna would hate her once the younger girl's memories were fully restored.

"At least I have you, Adonis…" the young girl mused as she scratched the ears of the snowy white kitten that was currently laying on her lap. The kitten purred and licked Elsa's hand at that statement. Elsa was somehow sure her feline friend was able to sense her emotions at times, as the kitten often knew just when to curl up against her owner whenever Elsa was feeling sad or depressed, which was quite often over the past two days.

A knock came from Elsa's room door, startling Elsa from her musings. Quickly moving the kitten out of her lap (Adonis lightly hissed, not wanting to move from her owner's warmth), Elsa rose from the chair situated next to her window and moved across her room to greet whoever was knocking on her bedroom door. Elsa was again confused, there was nobody she was expecting to see here today. She knew it wasn't Anna as the knock wasn't the familiar 'Shave and a Haircut' that Elsa had grown so accustomed to ignoring over the past three years. Shoving the small amount of guilt that came with that thought, Elsa slowly opened the door and saw…

"Professor Dumbledore!" the eleven year-old exclaimed, pleasantly surprised at the old man's visit. Rushing forward, Elsa engulfed the headmaster in a small hug. Dumbledore was quite taken with the young girl's enthusiastic response, returning the hug from the child.

"Good afternoon, Elsa. I am glad to see you seem to be doing much better today," the headmaster greeted with a smile that Elsa returned with a small nod. "May I introduce you to Madam Poppy Pomfrey?" Dumbledore asked as he gestured to a woman on his right.

Turning to face the woman, Elsa saw a woman in her mid-fifties that looked strangely like a nurse. Elsa was strangely reminded of the main character Mary Poppins from one of her favorite books. Shaking hands with the woman, Elsa politely greeted her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Pomfrey," Elsa said in her most princess-like voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Princess," Madam Pomfrey responded with a kind smile. "However, I do hope that I don't have to see you at Hogwarts."

Slightly confused, Elsa looked toward Dumbledore for clarification. Chuckling lightly, the headmaster explained everything to the girl. "Madam Pomfrey is the head nurse of our own Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Being that this is the summer break and that there are no students at Hogwarts, I called upon her to assist me with your little sister's memory restoration."

Madam Pomfrey clucked in disapproval at the mention of what had been done to Anna. "Seriously, what were these parents thinking? Having their daughter's memories modified so heavily so early in her life…it's a wonder you found out about it now, Albus! I would hate to think about what would have happened had this gone unnoticed," the matron said with a slight tone of worry in her voice.

A sudden, yet small panic rushed over Elsa. Anna's memory restoration was going to be today, Elsa had no idea it would happen so soon. Her breathing increasing, Elsa did her best to calm herself down in the face of what could possibly happen today. Only a slight glimmer of hope prevented Elsa from having another breakdown, perhaps Anna would be willing to leave the past in the past. Elsa sure hoped so, she wasn't sure exactly how she could live with herself if Anna hated her the rest of her life.

"_If that happens, at least I'll be at Hogwarts most of the time."_ Elsa tried to reassure herself. Instead, it only made her more depressed. Dumbledore, meanwhile, shook Elsa from her brooding.

"I believe that since we have our introductions out of the way, it is time for us to begin," the professor said, leading the way down the hall to Anna's bedroom with Madam Pomfrey following not too far behind. Elsa, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot she was in. There was no way she could go in there, she just couldn't run the risk of being present as Anna relived what her older sister had done to her. Halfway down the hall, Dumbledore noticed Elsa still standing next to her bedroom door. Without any hesitation, the headmaster strode back to where his future student was standing and got down on eye level with the girl.

"If I may ask, Elsa, is there a problem?" the headmaster asked, nothing but concern written on his face.

"I-I can't do it. I can't go in there, what if she hates me?" the girl asked, panic showing in her voice.

Taking the girl's hand into his own, Dumbledore looked Elsa directly in the eye and reassured her, "Elsa, your little sister needs you more than ever right now. She currently has no idea of what is about to happen today; and when the time comes that her memories are restored, she will need all of the support she can get. Elsa, you are key to this support. Would I be correct in assuming that you want to make up three years of neglect to your little sister?"

Elsa nodded. Even though unsure of exactly _how_ she was going to go about it, she definitely wanted to make up three years of ignorance to the girl who was once and would hopefully again be her best friend.

"Then I must insist that you come with us," Dumbledore told the girl in a soft voice. With another nod from the girl, Dumbledore wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulders and guided her down the hallway and into her old bedroom for the first time since she was woken up by Anna all those years ago. Elsa felt herself doing her best to hold back tears from so many wonderful memories made with her sister in this room. She desperately hoped many more would be made in the future, should her sister want her back.

"Elsa!" a small voice called out in glee. Elsa turned and saw her little sister lying on her bed with their mother and father on either side of the littlest girl. Anna was visibly surprised and giddy to see her sister in the room that the two once shared together. Mustering up all the courage she had, Elsa put on a smile and made her way over to her little sister.

"Hey Anna…how are you?" Elsa asked awkwardly, unsure of how to actually converse with the girl she had practically shut out in the cold many years ago.

"Maybe you should answer your own question," the redhead cheekily replied, sticking her tongue out at her older sister. Her facial expression changing from one of cheek to one of genuine concern, the younger girl asked, "What the heck happened to you a couple days ago? I thought you were going to die or something…"

Elsa's heart ached at that comment, guilt making its way to the surface yet again. To think that after all these years, her sister still cared for her without condition was almost overwhelming for the older girl. There was one thing that was certain to Elsa: Anna was a better sister than she would ever be.

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll be okay, you'll know everything very soon," Elsa replied with a mysterious smile, making her best attempt and putting her little sister at ease. Elsa's statement only caused the younger girl to become even more confused.

Dumbledore decided it was best if he would take over at this point. "Miss Anna, I believe I can explain what is going to happen here. You see, during a previous conversation with your mother, father, and sister; it was discovered that a memory modification charm had been placed on you years ago. A memory modification charm placed on a child is a very dangerous thing. If it is not removed, it could cause you to go insane when you reach adulthood."

Anna's expression turned into one of horror. In a panicked voice, the redheaded girl began talking at a very fast speed. "Can we take it out? I don't want it there anymore! I like my mind the way it is, I don't want to go insane!" The Queen took Anna's hand and did her best to comfort her daughter.

"Sweetie, that's why Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey are here today. They are going to remove the modification from you. Once it's gone, a lot of things will make more sense than they do now."

"O-Okay mommy…" the little girl replied, scared of what was to come. Moving to the little girl's side, Professor Dumbledore crouched down and looked at the youngest princess straight in the eye.

"Anna, do you trust me?" the headmaster asked simply. After a couple seconds, not breaking eye contact with the old man, Anna nodded slowly. Dumbledore smiled, now ready to begin. "I'm going to be using a very precise branch of magic on you known as Legilimency. It's a type of magic that very few witches and wizards can practice and can be used to do amazing things. The first thing you will need to do, Anna, is to take a Sleeping Potion that will be administered by Madam Pomfrey here. You need not worry, you will wake up later. What I am going to be doing will be much easier accomplished while you are not awake."

"A-alright, that's fine Professor…" Anna shakily replied. With a smile, Dumbledore allowed Madam Pomfrey to administer the potion to the girl. Immediately after drinking the potion, Anna felt her head and eyelids much heavier than they had been merely a minute before. Within three minutes, the young girl was asleep with her mouth open, lightly drooling. Elsa couldn't help but stifle a small giggle, this was exactly the way Anna had slept when they had shared this room together. It seemed that some things never changed.

"She's asleep, headmaster. You may begin," Madam Pomfrey told the headmaster. Nodding slightly, the old wizard took a seat on an armchair situated on Anna's left side. Reaching his hand out and touching the girl on the forehead, the headmaster took one deep breath as he closed his eyes and entered the young child's mind.

* * *

Upon entering the child's mind, the first thing that Dumbledore saw was that he seemed to be standing outside what looked like an exact replica of the Royal Palace of Arendelle, right down to every small tower and turret. Dumbledore was marveled at the sheer size and detail of this young girl's mindscape, there was no doubt in his mind now that Anna possessed a very active and colorful imagination. Most young children's subconscious mindscapes were nowhere as detailed as this. It did, however, make his task slightly more difficult.

"Whoa, hi Professor!" came a voice.

Dumbledore turned to his right and saw standing right there a very upbeat and chipper redheaded girl standing and bouncing on her heels. The professor smiles, it looked like he would have some assistance with his task after all. Dumbledore was not surprised, the girl didn't seem to be one that would sit back and let somebody else do everything, something he admired in a child.

"Why hello there, Anna. I see that while your body is asleep, your mind never seems to stop, does it?" the headmaster asked in a calm voice, a small smile playing out across his face.

"Nope!" Anna simply replied, popping the 'p.' "Let me show you around!"

With that, Anna grabbed the headmaster's hand and dragged him into her version of the Royal Palace of Arendelle. The main entrance as well as the main halls looked exactly the same as the real palace, no differences whatsoever. Anna gave Dumbledore the entire tour of the place, pointing out every painting, statue, and suit of armor that she had knocked over in real life. The headmaster found it quite amusing and refreshing to see just how vibrant and energetic the young child could be, hoping that eventually Anna would be known to be a witch as well.

"Okay, now we're at the best part!" Anna told the headmaster with much excitement. Dumbledore and Anna had now reached the bedroom corridor of the palace. "This is where I keep all my memories!" the child eagerly told the headmaster. So this was exactly where he needed to be; soon it would be all clear to the child. Dumbledore felt a slight sadness at this, often times it rang true that ignorance was indeed bliss. Reminding himself that in this particular case, ignorance could prove to be fatal; Dumbledore began asking Anna the most important questions.

"If I may ask, my dear, what do you keep behind that door?" Dumbledore asked as he pointed to what in real life was the door to Anna's bedroom.

"Oh, that's where I remember all the stuff that I've done, lemme show you!" Again grabbing the headmaster's hand, Anna opened her "bedroom" door and lead Dumbledore in behind her. Once inside, Dumbledore got a chance to view many pleasant and fun memories of a little Anna and Elsa often playing in the snow. If there was anything that could be done in the white power, the two little girls tried it: Sledding, ice skating, snowball fights; and of course, building snowmen. Dumbledore simply smiled at the wonderful memories, though knowing these to be falsely modified. Dumbledore then got to see what Anna's life was life after her sister seemingly abandoned her. Dumbledore's heart broke when he saw memory-Anna playing alone with two dolls modeled after the two sisters, he could not fathom just how much Anna had to have been traumatized by the seemingly sudden turn of her sister.

As Anna and Dumbledore exited back into the hallway, Dumbledore noticed another door: The door to Elsa's 'room.' Testing out a theory he had, Dumbledore asked Anna what was behind the door in question.

"I don't know, that door is always locked," was the only reply he got from the red-haired child.

Approaching the door cautiously, Dumbledore reached out to the handle with his right hand, attempting to open the door. It was a failed effort, the door refused to budge at all. Dumbledore was now certain that behind this door were the true memories that had been taken from Anna years ago. Crouching down to look at the girl, Dumbledore made sure she was ready for this.

"Anna…I am almost certain the reason you have never been able to open this door is because behind it lay the memories that were taken from you so long ago. I just wanted to make sure before I attempt once more: Are you ready to see these memories?"

Anna took a moment before she answered. Did she want to see these? What event could be so horrible that someone had decided that it was best that she had no memory of it whatsoever? Was is something she absolutely needed to know? Yes. The immediate answer to that final question was a simple yes. With a brave sigh, the young girl looked at the headmaster and nodded, her curiosity trumping any fears she might have over what someone else deemed not fit for her to remember. The cat was out of the bag, there was no turning back now. Anna had to know.

"I cannot begin to express to you how proud I am to know you, Anna. You have already shown a great deal of bravery in going through this, an amount of bravery that many adults would not have. I will be completely honest in letting you know that it will not be easy once you have been exposed to these repressed memories. However, knowledge is power; for without it, we would forever be left in the dark. Know that you are not alone, your family is always there for you," the headmaster concluded. Turning his attention to the door itself, Dumbledore pointed his wand at it and firmly stated a phrase in Latin:

"_Impedimenta ostium aperitur, ut hic te, ut amicitia, verum memoriae iterum!"_

Anna's jaw dropped as Dumbledore's wand emitted a large, green light that filled the entire room before focusing itself all on the single door that Dumbledore was attempting to get open. With a resounding click, the door unlocked itself and opened, revealing the suppressed memories inside. Taking the girl's hand, Dumbledore cautiously and carefully lead the small girl into the room, both observing the very memory of the fateful night that changed both Anna and Elsa's lives three years ago. Dumbledore saw the fun, joy, and laughter the two sisters had with each other and smiled sadly, the two reminded him very much of his little sister that he wished he could speak with just one more time. He watched as memory-Anna jumped from snow mound to snow mound in completely childish delight, unaware of the warnings that memory-Elsa was screaming out. Then…the fall. In an attempt to save her sister, memory-Elsa accidentally shot out a beam of ice that froze her sister's head, knocking memory-Anna out cold. Dumbledore watched is sadness as he saw memory-Elsa cradle her little sister, calling out for their parents in panic. Glancing at the present-day Anna standing next to him, all he could see was child standing there with her jaw stuck open in awe.

"I believe it's time to go back now, Anna." Anna nodded in agreement.

* * *

Exiting the child's mind, Dumbledore again found himself back in reality, sitting in the same armchair as earlier amongst the pink walls of Anna's bedroom. Noticing the headmaster returning to a state of consciousness, the three adults and Elsa immediately looked straight at Dumbledore's face, all silently asking the same question. Dumbledore faced them all and spoke.

"It is done. The memories have been fully restored. She should wake any second now."

Right at that moment, the little girl in the bed stirred and awoke from her short but significant nap. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, the young girl looked at everyone in the room, her gaze lingering momentarily on her older sister as she reveled in the knowledge that had been unlocked from her mind mere moments ago. Dumbledore, noticing the younger girl's constant stares at her older sister, again broke the silence.

"I believe it's best if we give these two a few moments alone. I'd imagine there is much to speak about," Dumbledore declared with a tone of finality, as if challenging anyone there to argue with him. Nobody did, and the four adults quickly vacated the room, Dumbledore mentioning something about a custard tart that he had seen one of the servants with earlier.

Anna continued gazing at her sister, simply reveling in the knowledge she had just acquired. So that was why Elsa had shut her out all these years, fear. Fear that she could hurt her little sister with her powers. Fear that if taken too far, she could kill someone if she couldn't get her powers under control. Elsa, meanwhile, stared at the floor. She could not bring herself to look into her little sister's eyes. She didn't want her little sister to have to stare into the eyes of a monster. Finally, Anna broke the deafening silence that had set in the room.

"Elsa…" was all that came out of Anna's mouth.

"So you know," replied the older girl. It was not a question.

"Yeah," Anna confirmed. It was all she could say.

"Anna, I'm so sorry for everything. I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore, I understand if you're afraid of me. I understand if you hate me because I've treated you like dirt the past three years. I was just trying to protect you from myself…I couldn't bear the thought of hurting you again." Elsa said to her sister as she turned her back toward the younger girl so that the hot tears running down her face would not be visible. Elsa braced herself for the screaming and insults that she was sure were about to come out of Anna's mouth. Elsa couldn't blame the younger girl, she did almost kill her after all. But to Elsa's surprise, instead of the anger and insults, she received nothing other than a _hug_ from her little sister, the first one exchanged between the two in three years. Soon, tears were flowing from both girls as they broke down the walls that had been put up between them for the past three years. No further words were needed, both sisters knew that they would be a large part of each other's lives from here on out.

"Elsa," Anna said as she tightened the embrace with her sister, "I forgive you. For everything."

"Really? Just like that?" Elsa asked. She couldn't believe that Anna was simply going to forgive her right off the bat.

"Well," Anna mused, pulling out of the hug as she placed her right hand under her chin in a classic 'thinker' position, "on two conditions."

"Name them," Elsa replied. Whatever these two conditions were, she would fulfill them without question. Anything for her sister's forgiveness.

"Well one," Anna declared, counting off each number of conditions she had, "you have to promise me you will never ignore me like that again; and two…" Anna trailed off, as if she were thinking long and hard about the next condition to give her sister.

"Anything, Anna, I'll do anything!" Elsa frantically pleaded.

"Anything, huh?" Anna asked in a classic villainous tone. "Even build a snowman with me tomorrow?"

Elsa relaxed, a smile coming to her face as she lightly giggled at her little sister's antics. Anna had _definitely_ not changed. "Yes Anna, I promise I will build a snowman with you tomorrow."

A giant goofy grin broke out on Anna's face as she rushed into her big sister's arms as she tackled Elsa into another giant hug. Elsa returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm, excited at the prospect of regaining her best friend and little sister. Three long years of solitude and loneliness for both girls were finally over, both relishing in the happiness of having each other back and both thinking the same thing: That they will always be by their sister's side no matter what. Elsa and Anna were a team, and nobody would ever change that.

That night, the two sisters stayed up as late as they could, catching up with each other and talking about anything and everything they could. They finally drifted off to sleep, snuggled up against each other in what could be considered the perfect Kodak Moment. It was the first time in years that both children's dreams were nightmare-free.


	6. A Journey Into the Unknown

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all of your positive responses on this story, I really do appreciate it! I want to reiterate that this story is an AU story, taking place in the _Harry Potter_ timeline. As such, there will be a few modern references in this chapter. Thanks!

**Chapter Five: A Journey Into the Unknown**

In the month following the emotional reunion of the two Arendelle children, it would appear to an outsider as if there has been no rift between the two sisters whatsoever. Elsa and Anna did practically everything together, both feeling as if a large hole in their hearts had suddenly been filled. Elsa immediately moved back into the room the once shared with Anna, turning her former bedroom-prison into a playroom for the two girls so that they would not be stampeding throughout the palace (Though that they did anyway.). True to her word, Elsa did indeed build a snowman with Anna as soon as her old bedroom was cleared of all her things. Now mostly unafraid of using her ice and snow powers for fun, Elsa conjured up endless amounts of un-melting snow for herself and her sister to play in. What Elsa and Anna didn't think of, however, was that special magical snow has special magical properties; and as soon as the to had their backs turned, the magic revealed itself in shocking, yet amusing, ways.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" came a sudden, childish voice.

Startled, the two girls froze in their tracks; jaws dropping at the sudden, unexpected sound as they turned to face each other.

"Elsa, did you…" Anna asked, slightly scared.

"No, I thought that was you…" Elsa replied, with an equal amount of nervousness in her voice.

"No, sillies, it was me!" came the voice again. Finally turning around, the two girls slightly jumped backwards when they saw that the snowman they had created together was _alive_!

Taking a tentative step towards the live, yet seemingly harmless snowman; Elsa questioned, "W-Who are you?"

"I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" the snowman known as Olaf repeated, still with a joyous smile on his face. Elsa continued with her questioning.

"You're a snowman…"

"Yeah, why?" Olaf replied, staring at Elsa and Anna with a smile still on his face.

"But you can talk…"

"Yeah, why?"

"And you're alive?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Elsa, you must have made him by using your powers!" Anna realized, nearly jumping for joy at the thought of having an actual, live snowman as a friend. Elsa surveyed Olaf, unbelieving at the thought of creating such a being…

"I…I created you?"

"Yeah, why?"

If Elsa had any more questions for the snowman, the opportunity to ask was lost when Anna rushed past and tackled the snowman in a huge hug.

"You're even better now that you can talk and stuff! Oh, I love you Olaf!" the young redhead squealed in delight.

"Aww…I love you too Anna!" the snowman replied as he wrapped his small branch arms around the little girl as best he could. Elsa looked down on the scene with fascination, wondering just how on Earth she could have created something—no, _someone_ so beautiful, lifelike, and amazing.

"_Is this why I was given these powers? To help make the world more beautiful? Is this actually a gift instead of a curse?"_ the young Snow Princess asked herself.

Anna and Olaf, meanwhile, noticed Elsa simply standing back as they hugged and immediately opened up to invite her in.

"There's room for one more, Elsa!" the snowman smiled, unable to get enough warm hugs from people. Elsa happily joined in, making it a group hug.

"I love both of you. Welcome to the family, Olaf," the eleven year-old smiled. "I promise I'll find a way to keep you with us."

Elsa never went back on her promise. Shortly after, the crown princess approached her mother and father, explaining what had happened and how great she had felt at creating something so vibrant and lifelike. It took only one meeting with Olaf for Elsa and Anna's parents to fall in love with him, as if he were the son they never had. Nobody could resist Olaf's childlike charm and energy, and soon the entire Royal Palace was quite taken with the little snowman that the children were never seen without. Of course with the summer heat becoming almost unbearable, Elsa had to give Olaf his own small flurry so that the snowman would not simply become a lifeless puddle. Olaf became even more thrilled at this news, as he revealed that it had always been one of his dreams to full experience summer as he performed a wonderfully corny song and dance routine about what a snowman would do during the hottest season. This had Elsa and Anna in stitches by the end, Elsa even more proud now that her creation also had wonderful musical talent.

But none of that was on Elsa's mind right now, as the month had passed and it was now the morning of August thirty-first, the day before Elsa was to leave for Hogwarts. Frantically running around her shared room, Elsa was doing some last-minute packing before the entire royal family would be shuttled out to the private plane that would fly them to London, where they would all stay the night before heading to Kings Cross Station for Elsa to catch the Hogwarts Express. Supposedly the best way to transport a number of students to school was by train. Elsa was giddy with excitement, ever since reading _The Polar Express_, she loved the idea of riding on a magical train. It seemed, however, that Elsa was the only excited child in the room.

"Anna, have you seen my copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_?" Elsa asked the younger girl that was lying on her bed. Receiving no response, Elsa again called out to get her sister's attention, again receiving no response. Elsa grew scared. Was Anna trying to get her back for all the years she had ignored her little sister? No…Anna was not vindictive like that, Elsa reasoned. Moving over to the lump that was still lying in bed, Elsa pushed the covers aside to find her little sister's face buried in her pillow, soft sniffles making themselves heard.

"Anna, what's wrong?" the older girl asked, placing her hand on her little sister's shoulder, only to find the younger girl jerking away from her touch.

"Go away, Elsa!" the little redhead yelled, though muffled by the pillows.

"Anna, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong," Elsa said patiently, determined to get to the bottom of her little sister's sadness. She had since vowed to herself to fully carry out her duties as a big sister after the neglect she had shown towards Anna for three years. Suddenly realizing, Elsa asked, "This isn't about me leaving, is it?"

The younger child rose slightly, taking her face out of her pillow and looking Elsa straight in the eye, where Elsa could see her little sister's eyes red from all the crying. "M-Maybe…" the younger girl stammered, not wanting to spoil her big sister's excitement.

A wave of sadness rushing over her, Elsa climbed onto her little sister's bed and cradled the smaller girl, "Oh Anna, I'm sorry if I've been talking too much about Hogwarts…I'm gonna miss you too, you know," she said as she rubbed her sister's back in an attempt to comfort the younger girl.

"I-It's just…I only just got you back, and I feel like I'm losing you again…" the redhead choked out as a fresh wave of tears escaped from her eyes. "You and Olaf are going away and I'm just gonna be here all alone again…"

Elsa tightened her hold on her little sister, feeling bad for the younger girl who had for so long been alone in life. "Well, there's where you're wrong, sis," Elsa said with a mysterious smile. She figured now would be a good time to drop the surprise on Anna. "I already asked Olaf to stay here with you and he agreed. I figured you'd need someone other than Mama and Papa to play with while I'm at school."

Instantly the redhead piped up and she looked Elsa in the eye. "Really?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing. "Oh, thank you Elsa!" she screamed out as she tackle-hugged her big sister.

"And remember, Anna; I'll be back for Christmas, which is only four months away," Elsa continued to reassure as she returned her little sister's hug. "I promise I'll write you every day, okay? I'll tell you _everything_ about Hogwarts." Anna only smiled and nodded in agreement, not yet ready to break the hug with her sister.

Eventually, Elsa was finally satisfied with how her trunk was packed and the two sisters made their way down to the dining hall where their mother and father were enjoying a late breakfast, waiting for their daughters to be ready. After a quick breakfast of none other than chocolate-chip pancakes, the royal family was soon aloft in the air, destined for a place largely unknown to the two children.

The flight from Arendelle to London only took approximately three hours, but it was three hours that Elsa and Anna would not soon forget. Despite their parent's status as the leaders of a sovereign nation, both children had never been on an airplane before and were quite giddy in excitement over the prospect of being able to go up into the sky. It seemed that as soon as it had started, it was all over and the royal family's private jet was landing at Heathrow Airport, where the two girls were jaw-dropped in fascination at how many airplanes were coming and going and just how large some of them were. Both could not believe their eyes when they saw a Boeing 747 bearing the logo of British Airways taxiing past them, seemingly dwarfing the comparably tiny Gulfstream that the royals were flying on. Shortly thereafter, the family de-planed, passed through Customs, and were whisked off to 45 Park Lane where they would be staying for the night, their royal status providing them with a small police escort. Even having grown up in a palace, the two girls fascination only grew with their first look at the posh five-star hotel, their bright young eyes breathing in every single detail. Everything was just so beautiful!

But of course, all good things must come to an end, and the royal family's small excursion to London was no exception. For it was now that our story truly begins. The following morning, the entire royal family was again whisked off in a small police-escorted motorcade from the hotel to Kings Cross Station, the very place that would set Elsa the most unforgettable journey of her life. Arriving at the station at half past ten, the family quickly shuffled inside, stopping briefly to place all of Elsa's things on a luggage trolley. Making their way inside, Elsa consulted the letter that she had received from Hogwarts approximately one week ago, explaining in great detail how to access the train to Hogwarts. Making sure she knew every detail exactly, Elsa silently reread the letter in its entirety.

_Dear Miss Arendelle,_

_We are pleased and delighted to have you attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this upcoming term. Please find in this letter the instructions on how to access the train that will take you to school. The Hogwarts Express will depart from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at precisely eleven o'clock in the morning on 1 September. To access Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from the muggle world, simply walk at the wall between Platform Nine and Platform Ten. Please do make sure that you are inconspicuous at all times, and __do not__ ask any of the muggle station staff for assistance, as they are unaware and are not permitted to have any knowledge of the platform or our world as a whole. Also, please be advised that any muggle family or friends will not be able to access the platform._

_We look forward to seeing you at the opening feast._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Elsa grinned as she read that letter, she simply loved the way magic seemed to be right in front of people's eyes all the time. Yet, unless you knew what to look for, you would likely pass it by without a second thought. Yes, Elsa was already giddy in anticipation of what was soon to be. Reaching the wall separating Platform Nine and Platform Ten, Elsa turned to her mother, father, and sister; the magnitude of today's events finally hitting her like the train she was sure to be riding on today. For the first time ever, Elsa was going to be separated from her family. This girl who up until one month ago had never seen outside of the royal palace walls was all of a sudden going to be studying at a boarding school that was hundreds of miles and an entire sea away from what she knew as home. Tears coming to her eyes, Elsa engulfed her mother and father in one last hug, savoring their last moment together until the Christmas holidays.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," the girl said as she was released from her mother and father's embrace. "I'm going to miss you…I promise to write every day, okay?"

Her mother crying too much to speak, Elsa's father spoke for both of them. "We're going to miss you too, sweetheart. We are so proud of you," he said with a smile that Elsa couldn't help but return before turning to her little sister.

"Now, don't you and Olaf cause too much trouble while I'm gone. Save some for when I'm back, okay?" Elsa said as she engulfed her little sister in a warm hug that would make Olaf jealous. Anna simply nodded through her own tears as she returned the hug her big sister gave her. Once the two sisters broke apart, Elsa faced the rest of her family.

"I love you all," was all the oldest child had to say. Her response came in the form of a chorus from her mother, father, and sister.

"We love you too!"

Taking hold of her luggage trolley, Elsa pushed it until she was right in front of the wall itself. Looking backwards, Elsa offered one final wave to her family before pushing her trolley through the wall, half-expecting the trolley to bounce back towards her. Instead, the girl simply seemed to melt through the wall and was suddenly facing a gleaming scarlet steam engine with the words 'HOGWARTS EXPRESS' emblazoned on the tender. Elsa's tears disappeared as her smile grew a thousand fold, she was actually going off to Hogwarts! Suddenly, a wave of anxiety washed over Elsa as her fears and insecurities began to return to the surface. What if she made no friends here? Elsa hoped not, she had been alone for too long and was determined to change that as she began her new life in a whole new world. Doing her best to squash her fear and anxiety, Elsa worked her way past the multitude of people crowded on the platform in an attempt to find an open compartment. Finally finding one towards the end of the train, Elsa climbed into it and did her best to stow all of her things away. It was here where she realized just how heavy her trunk was, there was no way that a small eleven year-old such as herself could hoist that heavy thing onto the luggage rack by herself! Fortunately, it seemed as if the fates had favored her.

"Excuse me, is anyone else sitting here?" came a voice from the door of the compartment.

Temporarily abandoning her attempts at stowing her trunk, Elsa turned toward the source of the voice and saw somebody who she could only assume was to be a first year like herself. It was a boy with seemingly untamable raven-colored hair, circular eyeglasses that seemed to be held together with scotch tape, and a strange scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. The boy was wearing clothes that were many sizes far too large for his, as if he had just raided a particularly large person's closet and made off with whatever he could get his hands on. But what stood out the most to Elsa, despite the unique scar on the boy's forehead, were his green eyes that seemed to glisten in the light, reminding her of the Emerald City from _The Wizard of Oz_. Realizing she had not yet answered the boy's question, Elsa finally broke from her observations.

"Oh, no, not at all. I'm the only one in here right now. Just trying to get this thing up there," she replied to the boy as she gestured towards her trunk and the luggage rack far above their heads.

"Need a hand?" the boy asked. Elsa was surprised at how polite he was, most boys her age would probably not have even thought twice about that. She accepted the boy's offer gratefully and soon, after some heavy panting from both children, Elsa's trunk as well as the boy's were both stowed in the luggage rack above them. Both children were hoping it would be a while before they had to get the trunks down again.

"Thanks for you help, uhh…" Elsa said, just realizing she had not introduced herself or learned this boy's name.

"Harry." the boy said simply, catching Elsa's confusion as he brushed his bangs to cover the scar on his forehead. Briefly wondering why he did this, Elsa shrugged it off. She didn't want to seem too nosy.

"It's nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Elsa," the girl replied as she held out her hand, deliberately leaving out her last name so that nobody would suspect her true identity. Elsa noticed Harry flinch slightly as she extended her hand towards him, but said nothing as she added it to the growing number of questions she had about the boy. Finally, after a couple seconds, Harry returned the gesture, giving Elsa a surprisingly firm handshake.

"Nice meeting you too, Elsa. Excited?" he asked as the two sat down next to the train's window, opposite each other. Elsa couldn't believe it, someone her age actually wanted to talk with her!

Assuming the only thing he could be referring to was the impending journey to Hogwarts, Elsa replied. "Yeah, it sounds like so much fun! I only found out I was a witch about a month ago."

"Same with me," Harry said, "Except of course I'm a wizard. So you're not from a magical family?"

Elsa's smile slightly dimmed at that statement, not wanting to experience the same thing she did in Madam Malkin's one month ago. Elsa took a few seconds to answer that question, wondering if Harry was one of those people who believed that muggle-born witches and wizards were scum. But then again, Harry had only found out about magic a month ago as well. Tentatively, Elsa answered. "No, I'm not. You?" Elsa noticed Harry avert his eyes at that question, hoping she wasn't prying too far into his personal life.

"Well…yes and no. It's a long story…" Harry replied, looking as if he wanted to discuss anything other than this. Fortunately for him, the feeling of the train beginning to move startled the two first years from any further conversation about their parentage. Elsa looked out the window at the many families who were waving goodbye to their children for the last time until the Christmas holidays at the earliest. Elsa noticed a little redheaded girl, approximately ten years old, running alongside the train and waving until the train began moving too fast for the little girl to keep up. Elsa smiled, the little girl reminded her of Anna. Suddenly, Elsa and Harry's attention again turned to the compartment door as it opened and another child, presumably a first year, entered. It was another boy, this one tall with red hair and numerous freckles on his face, wearing clothes that looked like they had been handed down to him from many generations past.

"Anyone sitting here?" the boy asked. "Everywhere else is full." Both Elsa and Harry shook their heads, the redheaded boy entering the compartment and stowing his trunk next to Harry's and Elsa's on the luggage rack. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley," the boy introduced himself.

"Elsa, nice to meet you," replied the princess, still wishing to keep her title a secret.

"Harry," was all that the raven-haired boy had to say.

Ron took one look at Harry, whose bangs had somehow parted again, and gasped in fascination. "Bloody hell, you're Harry Potter!" Elsa just became more confused. Harry who? Why was Harry supposedly such a big deal? Ron, meanwhile, continued on. "Do you really have, you know, the scar?"

"_Asking to see someone's scar? Yeah, that's totally not weird at all,"_ Elsa thought in confusion. Harry, meanwhile, simply pulled back his hair to show Ron the lightning bolt-shaped scar in full detail. Elsa had to admit, it was an odd thing for someone to have. She wondered how on earth Harry managed to get it, but decided it was a far too personal question to be asking someone less than an hour after meeting them.

"So that's where You-Know-Who…" Ron trailed off in sheer awe. Like many times before, Elsa was once again confused. Obviously, she did not know who. Harry seemed to understand what Ron was trying to say, as he confirmed it to the redheaded boy.

"Yeah, but I can't remember any of it," was all Harry had to say.

Curiosity overcoming her fear of alienating what could be her first two friends in the wizard world, Elsa finally decided to interject in an attempt to figure out just exactly what the two boys were talking about. "Excuse me, who is this 'You-Know-Who' guy?" she asked, prompting Ron to stare at her in disbelief while Harry simply responded, not making eye contact with the blonde princess.

"Voldemort," Harry said as Ron flinched and turned his disbelieved look towards Harry. "He's the man who killed my mum and dad and gave me this," he said as he pointed toward the scar on his forehead. "I somehow defeated him, though how I have no idea."

Elsa felt a sense of dread wash over her as Harry said this. So that's why Harry had been reluctant to talk about his family life earlier. Of all the things she could have asked about, it just had to be about Harry's mother and father, who just happened to have been dead. Oh, why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? _"Stupid Elsa, you just had to ask him, didn't you?"_ she scolded herself. Opening her mouth in an attempt to apologize, Elsa was cut off by Ron who's jaw was dropped in disbelief.

"You said his name!" the redhead said in awe. "I thought you of all people…"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," Harry replied as if he thought that it was stupid to not use Voldemort's name. "See? I still have a lot to learn. I bet…" Harry paused before continuing, "I bet I'm worst in the class."

Elsa felt a sense of empathy for Harry after he said this, for this was exactly how she felt sometimes when she was scared or nervous about what was to come. She knew nothing of magic, and it looked as if Harry was in the same boat as her. Reaching her hand out to comfort the raven-haired boy, Elsa placed it on Harry's knee and made eye contact with him, noticing Harry flinch at her touch slightly before relaxing again. "Don't worry, Harry," she smiled, "You can't be worse off than me." Elsa was relieved when she received a smile back from Harry, getting a little lost in his emerald-green eyes.

"Nah, you won't be, neither of you," Ron said to both the muggle-raised first years in the compartment. "Everyone starts about the same at Hogwarts." Elsa was relieved to hear this.

"Thanks, Ron," she said with a smile in the redhead's direction. "And Harry?" Elsa asked as she turned her attention back to him, "I'm sorry I asked about Voldemort…"

"It's okay, Elsa," Harry smiled, showing that it was indeed okay. Ignoring his own flinches at the sound of the taboo name in the wizard world, Ron steered the conversation toward what he thought was a more mundane topic.

"So you two were raised by muggles, right?" he asked. Receiving a nod from both Harry and Elsa, Ron continued. "What are they like?"

Elsa had no idea how to answer this question, as she had never known anything else but her life in the past. Growing up in a royal palace wasn't exactly the most normal childhood around, and Elsa had no idea how to explain to Ron what a normal muggle childhood would be like. Harry, meanwhile, had his own answer.

"Horrible, really. Well not all of them. My aunt, uncle, and cousin are though."

Elsa frowned slightly at this, surely it wasn't normal for someone to describe the family they lived with as 'horrible,' was it? Even with all of their mistakes, Elsa would not go so far as to say that her mother and father were horrible parents. Surely they had been neglectful of both herself and her sister up until recently, but that had not been deliberate. Elsa thought of the two times so far she had made physical contact with Harry, noticing that the boy flinched every time someone touched him. Had his aunt and uncle hit him or something? Elsa hoped not, nobody deserved that. Harry made it sound as if his aunt and uncle were horrible to him on-purpose, something that did not sit right with Elsa. Even from the very little contact she had with the boy, she had to admit that Harry had been nothing but nice and polite to her the entire time. Noticing Ron looking at her for an answer, Elsa decided that she might as well tell the two the truth. It was bound to become known later anyway.

"Well," Elsa began as she took a deep breath, "My childhood wasn't typical. Don't get me wrong, it's wasn't _bad_, far from it. The thing is…I kinda grew up in a palace…and I'm sort of a princess…" she trailed off, waiting for Harry and Ron's reaction. Both boys were staring at her in disbelief, likely thinking she was joking. When no punch line came, Ron was the first to break the silence.

"Really?" Receiving a nod from the girl, Ron continued. "Bloody hell…I've been talking with a princess this entire time and I didn't even know it…"

Harry, meanwhile had quite a different reaction. Knowing what its like to be stared and poked at like something in a zoo, Harry sympathized with the princess who looked to him like she just wanted to blend in and not be the center of attention simply because of her position. "Elsa," he began, "For what it's worth, I still don't see you any differently because of it," the boy said with a smile to the girl.

"Thanks, Harry," Elsa smiled back. She was grateful for this, for all she wanted to be was normal. Being a princess, a witch, and an elemental didn't exactly help with that desire, sure it was nice having servants and maids waiting on you all the time, but Elsa was sure she could live without that.

"So what's it like, growing up in a palace?" Ron asked, still seemingly in awe of the fact that he was sitting in the same compartment as a princess.

"Boring, really," Elsa replied, with a roll of her eyes. "It's so big that it seems like there's nobody ever there. You don't get to chat with other people your age too, since you almost never leave the palace. My little sister Anna is my best friend, I don't even know what I would have done if my mom and dad had decided to stop at one kid. In fact," she said with a pause before continuing, "You two are the first people my age I've ever really talked to." Elsa turned from the window, which she had been looking out at, to see Harry and Ron with surprised looks on their faces. Not really wanting to answer any more questions about her home life, Elsa steered the conversation in a slightly different direction. "What about you, Ron?"

Ron's ears seemed to go slightly pink, as if he were embarrassed to speak of his life at home. "Well," he started, "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. I have five older brothers and one younger sister, she's starting next year. Bill is my oldest brother, he's working for Gringotts in Egypt. Then there's Charlie, he works with dragons in Romania. Percy is my oldest brother here at Hogwarts, he's a fifth year and a prefect," Ron said with a large eye roll, as if he couldn't stand Percy. "Fred and George are third years, twins. Very funny and they get good marks. Then there's me, the youngest boy. Everyone's expecting me to do just as well, it's no big deal if I do because they did it first."

Elsa couldn't believe what Ron had just said. _Five_ older brothers? How was Ron able to handle so many siblings? Anna was enough for her, she just couldn't imagine having to deal with so many people in her family. The last thing Ron had said also raised red flags, it seemed as if Ron did not get enough attention at home simply because of how many siblings he had. Ron, meanwhile, continued with his story.

"You never get anything new either, when you're the youngest of six boys. Like, I have Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat," he said as he pulled a shabby-looking old rat out of his pocket. "His name's Scabbers, he's pretty useless, really." All the children were interrupted when a slight hiss was heard from Elsa's things. Elsa, realizing who exactly was making that noise, jumped in fright.

"Oh Ron, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you! That's my cat, Adonis…I'll make sure to keep her inside her cage. I didn't know you had a rat…"

"It's alright, thanks Elsa," the redhead said with a smile, relieving Elsa's tensions at possibly alienating one of her two first friends in the wizard world. "Hey, want to see something? Fred gave me this spell, but I'm not sure if it'll work…"

Ron raised his wand and cleared his throat, but before he had a chance to perform it, the compartment door opened and a what looked like another first year girl with buck-teeth, and brown, frizzy hair entered. The girl held her nose quite high, as if she felt like she was better than everyone. This girl hadn't even spoken one word and was already rubbing Elsa the wrong way, her experiences with children from other royal families making her absolutely dislike anyone who felt as if they were better than others. If there was anything her mother and father were good at, it was making sure that despite the royal family's status and power, they were indeed humble and down-to-earth at heart.

"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," the girl asked, nose still high in the air. At her question, a chorus of no's from Elsa, Harry, and Ron left the girl with a somewhat defeated and exasperated expression, one that disappeared from her face when she saw Ron holding his wand up.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then," the girl demanded in a bossy tone. Yes, this was definitely someone Elsa knew she would not get along with. Looking over at Ron, she could see from his face that similar thoughts were running through his head, while Harry simply had an observant expression on his face that didn't really show anything.

"Uh…alright," Ron responded, still confused at why the girl wanted to see his perform a spell. Clearing his throat again, Ron pointed his wand at Scabbers the rat and said, _"Sunshine daises, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!"_ Absolutely nothing happened. Elsa couldn't help it as she stifled a laugh behind one of her hands, that spell was obviously one that Ron's brother had made up, not that she would actually rub the fact in Ron's face. Unfortunately, she was the only girl in the compartment that felt that way.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well it's not very good, is it?" the frizzy-haired girl asked. Elsa's dislike for this girl just kept growing, she just couldn't believe how rude this girl was to simply barge into their compartment and then berate one of its occupants without reason. "I've only tried simple spells, myself. For example," the girl said as she pointed her wand at Harry's face, _"Occulus reparo."_ Immediately, the piece of scotch tape that was holding Harry's eyeglasses together simply fluttered away, leaving the frame completely repaired with no visible cracks or lacerations at all. Elsa had to give the girl credit, she did know her spells.

"I've tried all of the simplest spells and learned all of our course books by heart. I was ever so pleased when I got my letter, nobody in my family is magic at all. I mean, Hogwarts is supposed to be the best school there is for magic, at least that's what everyone says. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way," the girl said in a very fast voice as she took a seat.

Elsa, Harry, and Ron eyed each other, all wondering the same exact thing: How did Hermione manage to do that. Shrugging it off, they all introduced themselves.

"Ron Weasley."

"Elsa Arendelle."

"Harry Potter."

Hermione's jaw dropped as she looked at Harry in disbelief. "Are you really Harry Potter?" she asked the raven-haired boy. Receiving a nod in response, Hermione continued. "I know all about you, of course! I got a few extra books for background reading and you're in _Modern Magical History_, _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_, and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_!"

"Am I?" Harry asked, sounding like he didn't particularly care for books that had his name in them.

"You didn't know?" Hermione asked, her jaw dropping. "If I were you, I'd have learned everything there is to know!"

"_Oh yeah, lecture him because he doesn't know what books he's in. That's totally fine, he only lost his mom and dad in that incident, you insensitive jerk."_ Elsa thought, unable to believe someone would go so far. Elsa then noticed that Hermione had turned her attention to her.

"You said your last name was Arendelle…you wouldn't happen to be related to the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Arendelle, would you?" the frizzy-haired girl asked the princess.

"Umm…I don't think so…" Elsa lied. She didn't need Hermione fawning over her just because of her title. "Kingdom of what?" Elsa asked, attempting to make her lie more convincing. Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation, Elsa was sure Hermione now thought of her as stupid or uneducated.

"Never mind," Hermione said as she stood up to leave the compartment, holding her nose seemingly higher than earlier as she turned to Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, right there." With that, the bossy buck-toothed girl was gone.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it!" Ron vented as soon as the door was closed. Again, Elsa got confused at a term she was unaware of.

"House?" she asked. Turning to Harry, she could see that he was just as confused.

"Oh sorry, I keep forgetting you two were raised by muggles. Hogwarts has four houses, sort of like teams, that you get sorted into on your first day. There's Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the smart, and Slytherin for the…well Slytherin is supposed to be for people with ambition but it seems more like the haven for pureblood supremacists these days," Ron explained. Elsa shuddered at the thought of Slytherin house, she was almost certain that Draco Malfoy would be sorted there.

"How are we sorted?" Harry asked.

"Dunno," came Ron's response, "Some sort of test, I think."

Elsa felt a slight panic. A test on her first day? How was she supposed to pass this, she knew no magic! Would this mean that she would have to go back home and isolate herself in her old bedroom all over again? Elsa couldn't do that, not with how far things had come in the past month. She wouldn't allow things to return to the way they had been for three long years, the way things had been when she was most unhappy. She was determined to pass whatever she had to pass or die trying. As if on cue, to help ease herself from all of her worries, the snack trolley arrived at their compartment.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" asked the kind old lady who was pushing the trolley down the train's corridor.

"No thanks, I'm all set," Ron said with a sad face as he held up what looked to be a homemade sandwich. Elsa meanwhile, simply could not decide what to buy with the moderate amount of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts she had left over from Diagon Alley. All of the candy looked so colorful and delicious, even though she had never seen nor heard of any of it in her entire life. Nevertheless, Elsa couldn't help but stare at all of the items such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Licorice Wands, Sugar Quills, and—this definitely got Elsa's attention—_Chocolate Frogs_. Seeing Harry was again in the same boat as her, Elsa made a proposition to him.

"What do you say, Harry? Three of everything?" Elsa asked. Harry simply nodded, and the two eleven year-olds combined their money together and indeed purchased three of each type of sweet on the snack trolley with a total cost of sixteen silver sickles that was split evenly between the two children. Both carrying a portion of the snacks they had bought, Harry and Elsa dumped them onto an empty seat and began to snack away on the sweets, Elsa going straight for none other than the chocolate frogs. Before she had a chance to open the box however, she noticed Ron hadn't touched any of the candies they had bought.

"You know, Ron, we bought three of each for a reason," Elsa said with just a small hint of sarcasm. Ron's face brightened at this news as he tore into one of the chocolate frogs. Elsa again stifled a giggle as she saw how bright-eyed the redhead got about sweets, it was quite a funny sight. Turning her attention back to her chocolate frog, Elsa received quite a shock when she opened the box and found the chocolate frog inside to be _alive_! The frog immediately made a jump for the window in an attempt to free itself, but Elsa, being quite the chocolate addict, wasn't about to let chocolate jump out of her grasp, even literally. Elsa grabbed the chocolate frog from the train's window with a very firm grip, popping the frog whole into her mouth and swallowing, momentarily having a sugar high as she swallowed. Magical chocolate, for some reason, tasted even better than the ones she was used to. Looking over at Harry, she stifled a giggle as she saw him not having as much luck with his frog. Harry was unable to catch the wayward sweet as it climbed up the window to the opening and jumped clear off the train.

"Yeah, you have to watch out for those, tricky little blighters they are," Ron said through a mouth full of his own chocolate frog. "It's the card you want, though, it's got a famous witch or wizard on it."

Elsa looked back down at her chocolate frog box, noticing now that the box did indeed contain a special collector's card shaped like a pentagon. Elsa smiled when she saw who the famous witch or wizard was on her card.

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**_

_CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS_

_Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling._

(_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_, pages 102 and 103, USA first edition)

Elsa pocketed the card with the hopes of creating a collection in time, with the amount of chocolate she was bound to eat, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would gain a considerable amount of chocolate frog cards in her future. Smiling, Elsa thought of exactly what the magical world had to offer, slightly afraid of where she was going but also determined to make something of herself in the wizard world, not simply content with throwing her status as a princess around. No, Elsa was always the type of person who wanted to go out and earn her reputation, and this was no exception. Her status as a princess, a witch, or an elemental be damned; she had faith in herself that she would earn her respect in the wizard world.

"_After all,"_ Elsa thought, _"Dr. Martin Luther King did say 'Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.'"_ Dr. King was a man that Elsa admired greatly.

Like many times before, Elsa's personal thoughts and musings were again interrupted by outside forces, this time being forces that were not so welcome. Hearing the compartment door open yet again, Elsa looked to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing there with two large, brutish boys flanking him on either side. These two both had very short hair, round faces, and didn't look like the brightest bulbs in the drawer. Elsa immediately glared upon their arrival, but it seemed that Malfoy hadn't even noticed. The pale, blonde boy only had eyes for Harry, for some reason.

"So it's true, what they've been saying on the train," Malfoy said in a very cool and calculating tone. "Harry Potter is in this compartment. It's you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Harry responded in an equally cold tone.

Gesturing to the two brutish boys flanking him, Malfoy continued his introduction. "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Elsa slightly snickered at the way Malfoy introduced himself, it reminded her too much of when she watched those James Bond movies with Anna a couple weeks ago. Malfoy apparently noticed, as he turned his attention toward Elsa, his face breaking out in a large sneer.

"Oh, look at this, it seems the filthy mudblood has managed to already befriend the most famous wizard of our time," Malfoy said as a slight pink tinge came to his cheeks. "Trying to get in on fame and fortune, are you? You're just like every other mudblood whore I've met."

"Say that again, you rat-faced bastard!" yelled Ron as he, Harry, and Elsa rose out of their seats in anger, ready to take on the arrogant blonde. Malfoy simply looked at Ron, causing his sneer to grow a hundred-fold.

"Well what do we have here? Red hair and hand-me-down clothes? You must be a Weasley. My father says that the Weasleys all have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Malfoy then turned his attention back to Harry. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to go messing around with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Malfoy held out his hand for Harry to shake. Harry meanwhile, simply looked Malfoy straight in the face with no emotion whatsoever.

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," Harry replied as he refused to take Malfoy's hand.

"I see," Malfoy continued. "I'd be a bit more careful if I were you, Potter. Keep on palling around with a filthy blood traitor and a mud blood whore like this, you'll find yourself going the same way as your foolish parents. They didn't know what was good for them either."

Elsa felt the anger welling up inside her, never before had she ever actually had the urge to smack someone across the face, but Malfoy was now the first person on that list. Before she had her chance, however, Ron stepped in and said what he thought would be the best thing to say to get Malfoy angrier.

"You know it's funny, Malfoy, that girl you just called a whore is actually a princess!" Ron said, hoping this would make Malfoy back off. Elsa inwardly face-palmed, while she knew Ron had good intentions, this was not something she needed Malfoy knowing. Malfoy, meanwhile, simply looked cold and calculating before he approached Elsa and offered his hand toward her.

"Is it true then, you are a princess of a foreign land?" Malfoy asked, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. Receiving no response, Malfoy continued, "Please accept my sincerest apologies, Princess, for I did not know who you truly are. I would hope to be on friendlier terms with you, if you would so accept?"

Elsa saw right through the blonde ponce's scheme. The boy lusted after those with power or fame, and treated those without either like the scum on his shoes. Elsa already hated his boy, he reminded her too much of the foreign royalty that would come to visit Arendelle in the past; always arrogant, rude, and thinking they were God's gift to the world. Elsa simply smiled back as she faced Malfoy down, before Elsa's knee made contact with Malfoy's crotch in a very un-princess-like manner. Malfoy fell to the floor, clutching at his crotch and howling at a high pitch in pain, his two 'bodyguards' grabbing him and pulling him out of the compartment as they glared at the three. Harry and Ron, meanwhile, stared at Elsa in awe.

"Wow, Elsa…that was bloody brilliant!" came Ron's response.

"Thanks," Elsa replied with an accomplished smile on her face, "My mom taught it to me. Sometimes foreign princes can be a bit too…touchy feely, you know?"

"What was it that Malfoy called you?" Harry asked in confusion as Ron's brow furrowed at the thought of the filthy word that even he would never say. But before Harry's question had been answered, the compartment door opened up again and two much older students appeared at the doorway. The two had hair just like Ron's and we're about the same height as the redheaded first year, though built a lot more stocky. The two were identical in every way.

"Well, well, well; Forge, it seems as if Ickle Ronniekins has made himself a couple friends," said the one on the left.

"What a great observation you have made, Gred. Might I wonder who these two are? They must be quite delusional if they wanted to be friends with our little brother here," said the one on the right.

"Oh piss off, you two," Ron replied with an annoyed tone before he turned to Harry and Elsa. "These two idiots here are Fred and George, my brothers. Third years.

"Idiots, you call us? Oh, you wound us, little brother!" the one on the right said as he clutched his right hand over his heart very overdramatically.

"Too right you do," said the one on the left as he copied his twin's expression. "Wound us right in the heart. Oh how could you be so heartless?" Elsa giggled behind her hand again at the twins' antics, their melodramatics reminding her very much of her own sister.

"So Ickle Ronniekins," the twin on the left, "We overheard some talk in here about somebody calling themselves a princess? You know, it's not healthy to engage in such fantasies at you age, Ronald. One might confuse which dorms you should be sleeping in!"

"Oi!" Ron yelled in protest, "I'm not the princess here!"

Deciding to bail Ron out of this situation, Elsa stepped in. "Actually, that's me. Hi…Princess Elsa of Arendelle," she said as she stuck her hand out in greeting to the comical twins. Fred and George looked at each other for a second before both dropping to the floor and offering the most exaggerated and ridiculous bows she had ever seen. It was almost as if the two were worshiping her.

"Oh please forgive us for our mistakes, our oh so royal friend. We are just humble pranksters in for a joke!" Fred proclaimed, seemingly increasing the melodramatics.

"Yes, we are not worthy to be in your holy presence, oh so hallowed one!" George said as he echoed his brother's actions. Elsa giggled again, if all wizards were as funny as these two, she'd have no problem with attending Hogwarts. Moving over to the twins, Elsa held herself in a mock-royal position and comically responded to the twins' antics.

"Please rise, oh so identical subjects, for there is no need for such formalities here," Elsa proclaimed in the most Queenly voice she could manage. Fred and George did so, smiling at each other as if to say, "We like this kid." Their antics were interrupted by an announcement that echoed throughout the train.

"We will be arriving Hogwarts in five minutes time! Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately!"

"Well ickle firsties," Fred said as the announcement wrapped up, "It looks like you three need to get into your school uniforms. Professor McGonagall doesn't really take kindly to those who aren't presentable at the opening feast. You don't want to be first up against that dragon…"

Elsa's expression darkened. "D-Dragon?"

"Oh yeah," George continued, "They have one for each first year! You have to slay it to get sorted. If you don't, well…" he concluded as he made quite a lethal gesture across his neck.

"Well, goodbye! It has been an honor meeting someone as regal and noble as you, Princess Elsa!" the twins said in unison as they repeatedly bowed comically out of the compartment.

"Don't listen to them," Ron said after the twins left. "Fred and George are always taking the mickey out of someone. I don't think you'll actually have to battle a dragon…Fred told me I had to battle a troll…" The expression on Ron's face showed that he wasn't so sure of his own advice himself, but Elsa appreciated the effort.

"Well…" Elsa said, trying to get her mind off of what Fred and George had told her, "Seeing as there's two of you and only one of me, I'll go ahead and change in the washroom while you two change here, sound good?" Receiving no objections, Elsa took her school uniform out of her trunk and left the compartment, making her way down the corridor to the small washroom at the end of the train car. Elsa slipped into her school uniform for the first time, noting just how well the clothes fit her. Madam Malkin was indeed a fantastic tailor! Her school uniform now fully on, Elsa took a quick look in the mirror.

"_This uniform makes me look good!"_ thought Elsa as she exited the washroom and made her way back down to the compartment she shared with Harry and Ron. Knocking to make sure the two boys still weren't changing, Elsa entered when she received a chorus from the two telling her it was okay to come in. Elsa took a look at the boys now that they had changed, noticing that Ron's uniform looked a little small on the redhead. Elsa figured that it must have been one of his brothers' before. Harry's on the other hand, looked like it fit absolutely perfectly. Elsa found herself staring a little longer than she intended to, before realizing and looking away in embarrassment. She hoped Harry had not noticed.

Shortly after, the three first-years felt the train slowing down and eventually coming to a complete stop. Elsa took a deep breath, there was absolutely no turning back now. Getting her thoughts and fears together, Elsa followed the large crowd of students that were filing off the train. As she stepped off the train and onto the small station platform, Elsa couldn't help but give herself a small smile.

"_Well Elsa, this is seriously the first day of the rest of your life." _she thought as the followed a large, booming voice calling for all the first years.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks again for all of your positive response to this story, I truly appreciate every good review, follow, and fave. It really lights up my day when I see those emails pouring in!

I wanted to let you all know right now that for the next couple weeks, there may be no updates to this story. I'm going on a family vacation Memorial Day weekend to Angels Camp, and the weekend after, I'm going with a few of my friends to none other than Disneyland! Sadly, my time will be very limited for the next couple weeks, but I'll do my best to post at least one more chapter in that time. Thanks for understanding, hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. The Four Houses

**Author's Note:** I would first like to apologize for not updating in a long time. As I stated in my authors note from my last chapter, I was indeed on vacation for my 22nd birthday, and it was awesome! Disneyland was incredibly fun as usual, and I'm so grateful that I'm able to afford a Premium Annual Passport and go multiple times a year. For those of you wondering, I sadly did not meet Elsa and Anna as the wait time was two hours. This was simply far too long for me to stand in line in the hot, humid Southern California sun.

Anyway, here's the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Six: The Four Houses**

"Firs' years! Firs' years, this way please! Come on now, don't be shy!"

Turning her head in the direction of the loud, booming voice she heard, Elsa was nearly knocked off her feet at the sheer size of the man. He had to have been at least ten feet tall, if this wasn't a giant, Elsa didn't know what was. From the look on his face, however, Harry seemed to know _exactly_ who this man was, as all Elsa saw was a large smile break out on her new friend's face.

"All righ' there, Harry?" the giant asked, smiling down at the raven-haired eleven year old. Despite his size, Elsa felt a strong sense of warmness from the giant, as if he would never hurt a fly unless in defense. Harry meanwhile simply nodded and the giant continued to usher over the remaining first years that were still straggling off the train. Looking over to Ron, Elsa was relieved to see that she wasn't the only one who had reacted the way she did.

"Do we got all the firs' years?" the giant asked. Doing a quick head count of the children, the giant did indeed confirm that all of the first years were present. "Alrigh', firs' years, follow me please!" The giant immediately began taking large steps down a small pathway from the train station, forcing all of the eleven year-olds to nearly jog to keep up with the giant man. Turning to Harry, Elsa questioned, "How do you know him, Harry?"

"That's Hagrid, he took me to get my school supplies," replied the raven-haired boy. "Who took you?"

"Dumbledore," replied Elsa with a light smile. She could never thank Dumbledore enough for helping her get her sister back. Ron meanwhile gaped in surprise.

"No bloody way!" the redhead exclaimed. "What's he like? Fred and George have only told me about how he is when they've been sent to his office after a prank or something…"

Elsa was about to tell Harry and Ron about how highly she already regarded the Hogwarts Headmaster, but before she had the chance to do so, a giant chorus of "oooh" interrupted the conversation between the three eleven year-olds. Turning her head to the front of the group, Elsa's jaw dropped in awe of the sight before her. Across what seemed to be a giant lake was what could only be Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even growing up inside of a royal palace did not prepare Elsa for the magnitude of beauty Hogwarts was. It seemed as if there was an endless collection of towers and turrets silhouetted against the beautiful, green, Scottish mountain range. Elsa couldn't believe her eyes. This was where she was going to spend most of the next seven years of her life? Elsa could easily get used to this. Once again, Elsa was glad to see that nearly all of the first years, regardless of their parentage, had a similar reaction. Elsa briefly wondered if wizard parents deliberately didn't give details about Hogwarts to their children.

"Beautiful, innit?" asked Hagrid the Giant as he looked over to all of the children who were seeing the beauty of Hogwarts for the first time. "Alrigh,' no more'n four to a boat!" the giant called out as he gestured to a small fleet of rowboats that were docked at the water's edge. All of the first years scrambled to the boats, eager to sit with their friends and not with someone they did not want to sit with. Elsa, Harry, and Ron were joined in their boat by Hermione Granger, much to the chagrin of Elsa and Ron. With a tap of a large, pink umbrella on the side of the lead boat that he had to himself, Hagrid had the entire fleet of boats gliding across the seemingly black lake. The first half of the journey was done in complete silence from Elsa's boat, allowing her to let her thoughts wander, particularly on what would happen to her, Harry, and Ron's friendship if they were indeed separated into different houses. Would Harry and Ron still want to be friends with her if she ended up in a different house? Would their friendship simply die due to the lack of contact with each other? Elsa didn't want that to happen, she couldn't lose the first two friends (Other than Anna) that she had made. With a heavy sigh, Elsa decided to breach the subject to Harry and Ron.

"Harry, Ron…may I ask you both a question?" the blonde girl asked tentatively. Receiving nods from the two boys, Elsa continued. "Can we make an agreement? That no matter what house we get put into, we'll still be friends?" Elsa hoped that they wouldn't simply brush her off.

"Absolutely," replied Harry. Elsa smiled in the bespectacled boy's direction, grateful that at least Harry would still be her friend. After about another moment, Ron agreed as well and the three friends all shook each other's hands, sealing the deal. None of them noticed the sad look on Hermione Granger's face as all of this took place.

Meanwhile the large fleet of small boats had made their entire journey across the lake and were now floating into what seemed to be an underground harbor situated inside a cave that stretched into the lake. All of the new students filed off of the boats and into a large group that followed Hagrid up a large set of stairs that led outside to the main entrance of Hogwarts School. Hagrid knocked on a large, wooden door three times, which was opened almost immediately. Out walked Professor McGonagall wearing the stern and serious expression that Elsa already seemed to know too well.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said to the Deputy Headmistress.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," replied the stern Professor as the ushered all of the first years into the massive entrance hall. Elsa couldn't believe just how large the hall was, larger than any she had ever been in at the royal palace. Professor McGonagall led the first years past another set of large doors that Elsa could hear many voices behind. Elsa figured this had to be where the rest of the school was already seated for the opening feast. Another silent round of fear and anxiety hit Elsa, she was almost certain now that the Weasley twins were pulling her leg about having to fight a dragon, but what exactly did they have to do to get sorted? What if she couldn't pull it off? Would she simply be sent back to Arendelle to resume the imprisonment that she had so gratefully escaped the month before? Elsa was brought out from her thoughts when Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to speak to the new students. It was then that Elsa realized that they had been led into a small chamber just off from the entrance hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall addressed the new arrivals, her stern expression never faltering. "In just a few moments, you will enter the Great Hall and join your fellow students. But before you do so, you will be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here, your house will be like your family within this school. You will sleep in your house dormitories, eat with your house at mealtimes, and attend classes with the same house members of your year. All four of the houses compete with each other for house points; your triumphs will earn your house points while bad behavior and rule breaking will lose your house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be honored the House Cup, a time-honored tradition. I do hope that each and every one of you becomes an asset to whichever house you are sorted into."

Professor McGonagall's speech did nearly nothing to reassure Elsa of her fears and anxiety regarding being sorted, specifically with her still not know just _how_ exactly they would be sorted into their respective houses. It seemed, though, that this was to be expected, as the next thing Professor McGonagall did also had no positive effect on her anxiety.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," Professor McGonagall said before she walked out of the chamber and into what one could only assume was the Great Hall. Elsa, meanwhile, was only left to wallow in her own scared thoughts. She desperately hoped she could pull off whatever it was that the school wanted her to do in order to be sorted, her very livelihood depended on it. Not to mention the disappointment she would inflict on her mother, father, and sister if she simply returned the day after she was supposed to start her magical education, bringing the news that she had failed at her very first assignment at school. Most disappointed would be her little sister, who was ever so excited to find out about her big sister's magical abilities. A loud gasp from most of the other students shook Elsa from her personal thoughts and musings. Looking up, Elsa saw an entire group of what only had to be _ghosts_! Silvery white and glimmering in the bright light, the ghosts were chatting away amongst themselves about some sort of issue when one looked down and noticed the young company they had.

"New students! About to be sorted, I suppose?" asked a ghost that looked somewhat like a monk. A few students nodded, unable to speak. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know," the monk ghost continued with a jovial, friendly tone in his voice.

"Move along, now!" came a much stricter voice from the entrance of the room. Professor McGonagall had returned with a large scroll in her hand. "We're ready for you now, follow me." The first years immediately began to fall in step with Professor McGonagall, who was much easier to keep up with at a normal pace than Hagrid. Professor McGonagall led the first years out of the small chamber and into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, where Elsa again marveled at the beauty of the place. There were four large tables that spanned the length of the room, Elsa assumed that each of these was a table for one of the four houses. Looking up, Elsa was flabbergasted to see that the lighting for the thousands of candles simply floating in midair. Above the candles, Elsa saw that there seemed to be no ceiling, only that the Great Hall looked as it the sky could be seen right from it.

"It's bewitched to look like the sky. I read about it in _Hogwarts, a History_," said Hermione Granger, who somehow had found her way to standing next to Elsa. Despite her dislike for the seemingly arrogant girl, Elsa found this little tidbit of information interesting.

Looking toward the front of the giant room, Elsa saw another large table spanning the width of the hall where various adults were seated. At her far left, Elsa saw that Hagrid the Giant was already seated next to a nervous-looking man with a purple turban on his head. A few seats down, another teacher with extremely greasy black hair and a hooked nose was conversing with much smaller man who was forced to sit on a number of cushions to reach the table properly. At the very center of the table, sitting on what looked like a large, golden throne; was none other than Professor Dumbledore himself. Catching Elsa's eye, Dumbledore gave her a small wink and a smile, a gesture that Elsa returned so that Dumbledore would know she saw him. Turning her attention to the very front and center of the hall, Elsa saw a simple three-legged stool on which rested an old, patched, and dirty pointed hat. Elsa was quite taken by surprise when a tear in the hat opened and the hat began to _sing_.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your tops hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head _

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you _

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell brave of heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind, _

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And you won't get in a flap!_

_You're safe in my hands(though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

(_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ by J.K. Rowling, pages 117 and 118, USA first edition)

Elsa felt a huge sense of relief wash over her. So all she had to do was put on the hat! She swore that she would indeed get back at Fred and George Weasley for leading her on and making her think she actually had to fight a dragon. In hindsight, it was so easy for her to realize just how made up that was. Who in their right mind would let a child fight a fully-grown dragon? The thought was both laughable and terrifying.

"When I call your name," Professor McGonagall addressed the first years, "You will step up here, sit on the stool, and place the sorting hat on your head to be sorted into your house. Abbott, Hannah!"

Elsa immediately tensed. They were going by last names? This meant that in just a few moments, Elsa would have to stand in front of the entire school and learn her fate. Elsa never did well as the center of attention, and her three year-long imprisonment had not helped her with overcoming her fear or being the center of attention in a crowd. Harry seemed to have noticed her tense up.

"Don't worry, Elsa, you'll be fine," the raven-haired boy attempted to reassure her. While Elsa did not particularly believe that she would be fine, she definitely appreciated the gesture, and smiled at Harry in thanks before again looking up front just in time to see Hannah Abbott sorted into Hufflepuff. Hannah took the Sorting Hat off of her head and placed it back onto the stool before jogging off to the table on Elsa's immediate right.

"Arendelle, Elsa!" called out the Deputy Headmistress as she read off the large scroll. Elsa's nervousness grew a thousand fold as she somehow managed the courage to place one foot in front of the other and walk slowly up to the stool in the center of the hall. Carefully picking the Sorting Hat up from the stool, Elsa tentatively sat down on the stool, now able to see the entire student body looking right at her before the brim of the sorting hat descended past her eyes.

"_Ah, so we have royalty at Hogwarts this year? Very exciting…"_ came a voice in her head. Elsa almost jumped off of the stool in panic, she knew the Sorting Hat could speak out loud, but never expected to hear another voice inside her own head! Elsa began to worry that the rest of the school was going to hear the Sorting Hat's words.

"_Don't worry, young lady. Only you and I can hear what is being said between us right now. Oh, what's this? Not only are you a princess but an Elemental as well? This surely is going to be an exciting year…"_

"_You won't tell anyone, will you?"_ Elsa mentally asked the hat. She didn't want her secret getting out just yet.

"_Absolutely not, your highness. Anything that I see is completely confidential, there's no need to fear any of your secrets getting out. I swear on a Sorting Hat's honor."_ the Hat replied. Elsa suppressed a giggle, finding the line about a hat having honor quite funny.

"_Now…let's see where we shall put you…"_ the Sorting Hat continued, "_Hmm…you are quite ambitious with regard to the wizarding world, I see; despite only knowing of its existence for merely a month. That's quite a Slytherin trail, I can see. But you're also quite loyal to your family, particularly your little sister. Devoted to protecting her at all costs. Very Hufflepuff of you. You've been through a lot of trials, much more than one your age should. Yet you've never given up and have always had the courage to go on, definitely a Gryffindor trait, I see. But you also have quite a great mind, you are a very bright and intelligent witch with much curiosity and a love to learn new things. Ravenclaw would also be a good fit. Hmm…it's very difficult to sort you. You have numerous great qualities from each house."_

This brought on a whole new bout of fear to Elsa. What if the hat could not decide? Would she be forced to simply go home? Kicked out of school before she even actually started? The Sorting Hat chuckled.

"_Not to worry, young lady. There is certainly a spot for you here at Hogwarts. Just where to put you. Hmm…I think the best place to sort you would be…"_

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat yelled out, prompting a huge round of applause to burst from the table on Elsa's immediate right. A sigh of relief escaped the young girl now that she was officially sorted. Taking the Sorting Hat off of her head, Elsa made her way to one of the empty seats at the Ravenclaw table. Being one of the first new students sorted, there was nobody else that Elsa felt comfortable talking with, so she simply rested her attention on the continuing sorting ceremony as "Bones, Susan" was placed into Hufflepuff. Elsa's status as the only first year in Ravenclaw was broken shortly after as "Boot, Terry" became the first boy to be sorted into the house of the eagles. Elsa gave Terry a polite and friendly handshake to the boy before they both turned the rest of their attention to the remainder of the ceremony. Elsa's attention began to waver after the sixth or seventh student sorted, every student's name going in one ear and out the other until…

"Granger, Hermione!"

Elsa perked up at this announcement as she watched the frizzy-haired brunette step up to the stool. Despite her opinion regarding the girl, Elsa was a firm believer in giving credit to where it was due. It was no secret to anyone that met her that Hermione was more than definitely Ravenclaw material. Elsa didn't resent the girl's vast knowledge of a wide variety of subjects, in fact she thought it was a great thing to have. It was Hermione's superior and snobbish attitude that Elsa didn't like, and Elsa was not looking forward to the possibility of sharing a dorm with Hermione. Alas, Murphy's Law seemed to have it in for Elsa when after approximately four minutes, the Sorting Hat announced…

"RAVENCLAW!"

Elsa inwardly groaned as Hermione got off the stool and half-ran to the Ravenclaw table and took the seat next to Elsa while the rest of her house applauded politely. Elsa only half-paid attention as Hermione rambled on about how Ravenclaw was one of the better houses and how only the smartest people got there. Elsa found Hermione's opinions to be a little bigoted, from what the Sorting Hat told her, every house seemed to have great qualities to it. Despite her desire to tell Hermione to shut up, Elsa held her tongue and allowed her mind to wander as she again didn't have the patience to pay attention to every single first year being sorted. Elsa stifled a giggle behind her hand as "Longbottom, Neville" nearly ran off with the hat while she was not surprised in the slightest when the hat barely touched Malfoy's hat before calling out, "SLYTHERIN!"

"_Must be all that gross oil on his head,"_ Elsa thought with another slight laugh. Her thoughts then wandered to how much her life would change for the next seven years. She was only brought out of her musings when another familiar name was called out.

"Potter, Harry!"

Instantly the hall was filled with excited whispers and murmurs as Elsa's first friend (Besides Anna) stepped up to the stool. Elsa was immediately disgusted at most people's behavior, Harry wasn't something to be simply be pointed and ogled at like her were in a zoo! Elsa noted Harry's nervous pace and trembling hands and fingers as he picked up the hat and placed it upon his head.

"_Don't worry, Harry, you'll be just fine,"_ Elsa thought. Had it been appropriate, she would have yelled it across the hall to him, but for the moment simply settled on hoping Harry would receive her good vibes. Harry, meanwhile, sat on the stool seemingly looking more nervous as each moment passed. It was then that Elsa noticed that Harry was actually mouthing something that looked something like, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin." Elsa didn't blame Harry, she wouldn't want to spend seven years in the same dorm as Malfoy either. Finally, the sorting hat made its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the hat. The biggest round of applause that night broke out from the Gryffindor table as Harry made his way off the stool to take his seat. Elsa was sure she heard what could only be the Weasley Twins repeatedly chanting, "We've got Potter, we've got Potter!" over and over again. Elsa felt a twinge of sadness that her first friend would not be in the same house as her, but nonetheless joined in the applause. She was delighted to see Harry glance her way before he sat down, smiling to the raven-haired boy and mouthing "Congratulations!" to him. He returned her smile and mouthed, "Thanks!" back before taking his seat. Finally, the hall quieted down enough for the sorting to continue. The random names again went in one of Elsa's ears and out the other until there were only two students left to be sorted.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

Elsa sat up and watched as Ron stepped up to the hat somewhat nervously. She saw Ron jump quite a bit when the he put the hat on his head before an almost immediate decision was made.

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the hat. Elsa again felt a little more sad that her first two friends were together in one house and she was somewhere else. She hoped that the two would not forget about her and that their friendship would continue to be as strong as it seemed to be on the train. Elsa was glad she had made that agreement with Harry and Ron, but was quite insecure about if it would be followed through on. Meanwhile, "Zabini, Blaise" had been the final student to be sorted (Slytherin) and Dumbledore rose.

"Before we start our delicious feast," the Headmaster began, "I have a few words for you all. They are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" Elsa again stifled a giggle, Dumbledore was too funny sometimes. Looking down at the table, Elsa's jaw dropped in fascination as what could only be described as mountains of food simply _appeared_ on all of the tables in the hall. Roast beef, turkey, mashed potatoes, anything that Elsa could think of that would be served on the table at the Royal Palace was found here. Taking a little bit of everything she could get her hands on, Elsa began to respectfully dig into her dinner, finding that the food tasted every bit as good as it looked. Elsa easily found herself going back for second helpings of the wonderful food, seemingly unable to get enough. Finally, once it seemed that everyone was done with their main courses, the desserts appeared on the table. If Elsa was in awe of the main course, she just about died when she saw all of the amazing sweets on the table. Ice cream in numerous flavors, treacle tart, tiramisu, and…_chocolate cake. _All of these desserts seemed to scream out, "Pick me! Pick me!" to the young princess. Unable to settle on just one dish, given the amount of chocolate-based desserts offered, Elsa loaded one of every chocolate dish onto her plate.

"You do realize that all of that chocolate is bad for you, right? Think of what you're doing to your teeth!" came a bossy voice to Elsa's left. Turning, Elsa found Hermione Granger staring at her with a disapproving glare. Elsa also noted that the frizzy-haired girl had no desserts on her plate.

"Excuse me?" Elsa barely managed to ask in a somewhat polite tone.

"All of that rubbish on your plate! It's loaded with ghastly amounts of sugar! You'll rot your teeth out!" replied the bossy girl, her glare towards Elsa never faltering.

Elsa simply could not believe it. Now Hermione was reprimanding her because of her desserts? Did this girl ever stop? Putting on the hardest glare she could muster, Elsa finally broke her silence to the girl.

"Listen, you. I don't know who you think you are, but I haven't even known you for one day and I am already sick and tired of your attitude! You think you can just randomly tell off people you don't even know? What gives you that right? Do everyone a favor and _buzz off!_"

Elsa's rant left Hermione stunned speechless. Had Elsa paid attention to Hermione's face in the moments after her outburst, she would have noticed the brunette's eyes start to tear up. In her anger, however, Elsa didn't want to even face Hermione. All of the other first years, meanwhile, were staring in shock and silence, all deciding that it was best to not get involved. Elsa, meanwhile, turned her attention back to the delicious desserts on her plate, enjoying all the chocolate in silence that was much more welcome to the princess than the constant rambling or harping of the bossy, frizzy-haired girl to her left. Finally, once everyone seemed to be done, the desserts disappeared in the same manner as the main course before it as Dumbledore again rose to address the students.

"Now that we are all fed and watered," the Headmaster began, "I have a few start-of-term announcements before we all retire for the night. First of all, our first years should note that the Forbidden Forest is simply just that: Forbidden. In fact, some of our returning students should make note of that as well." Elsa noticed that Dumbledore seemed to be particularly eyeing the Weasley twins, both of whom looked to be smiling in triumph and pride.

"Furthermore," Dumbledore continued, "All of our students should note that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is off-limits to all of those who do not wish to die a most painful death."

Elsa did a double-take at that statement. A most painful death? What could possibly be in the school that could cause that? Or more importantly…_why?_ Before Elsa had the opportunity to ponder the question further, the Headmaster continued with his speech.

"Also please note that our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that there is to be no magic performed in the corridors between classes." A few older Ravenclaws snorted at that statement, though Elsa could not see the humor in it.

"And finally," the Headmaster said in a much more jovial tone, "Let us end our start-of-term celebration by singing the school song!" Dumbledore flicked his wand and a giant scroll appeared with a poem on it that Elsa could only assume was the school song that Dumbledore spoke of.

"Everyone pick your favorite tune and we shall begin!" Dumbledore said, and moving his wand like a symphony conductor, the school began to sing the words on the scroll.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald,_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling,_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot._

(_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ by J.K. Rowling, page 128, USA first edition)

It seemed as if one by one, every student ended the song at a different time, all singing in their own tunes and at their own tempos. Soon after, only the Weasley twins were left singing the song to a slow funeral march, their arms draped around each other's shoulders in mock sorrow. Elsa couldn't help but giggle behind her hand again, the twins were simply just too funny for their own good. Elsa both looked forward to and dreaded the day that Anna met Fred and George.

"Ah music, a magic beyond what we all do here," Dumbledore said, wiping his eye with the sleeve of his bright blue robes. "Alright, bedtime, off you all trot!"

With that announcement, all of the students in the hall stood up and moved to leave. A voice over all of the commotion was heard by Elsa as two of the older Ravenclaws walked over to where all of the first years were previously seated.

"First years, welcome to Ravenclaw!" said a slim boy who looked to be about fifteen years old with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. "My name is Robert Hillard, I am the new fifth-year prefect and it is my duty to escort all of our new arrivals to Ravenclaw Tower, where you will be spending the next seven years of school. Congratulations to all of you for being sorted into Ravenclaw, the most difficult of all the houses to get sorted into. As you can likely see, we have the least amount of students in our house out of all of the four houses. But I assume none of that really matters to you right now as you're all likely tired and want to get to bed, yes?"

All of the first years nodded.

"Not to worry at all!" Robert continued. "If you will simply follow me, I will lead you to Ravenclaw Tower."

With that, the first years were off, following Robert as he made his way through the maze known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along the way, Robert pointed out interesting tidbits and random bits of knowledge of the castle, such as moving staircases, paintings that could have conservations, and suits of armor that sometimes walked the castle as if they were people themselves. Elsa found all of this utterly fascinating, even though she had lived in a castle her whole life. Finally, the group of Ravenclaws arrived at the end of a corridor where a single door separated them from what was inside. On the door was nothing but a knocker shaped like an eagle. Suddenly, to some of the first year's surprise, the eagle knocker spoke.

"I grow from trees and your home, once I am grown I fall to my doom. What am I?"

"An icicle," Elsa replied almost immediately, as if it were completely obvious to her.

"Very good, you may enter," replied the knocker as the door opened to reveal a wide, circular room with large arched windows and blue carpet. A few of the older students were still mingling around the room, catching up with friends after a summer apart. Towards the other end of the room stood a statue of a beautiful woman. Elsa marveled at the beauty of the room, just like she had marveled at the beauty of everything else she had seen today.

"Welcome, boys and girls, to the Ravenclaw common room," Robert announced. "This is where you will be allowed to study, socialize, or just relax during your free times. Over here is a statue of our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, who herself said 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.' I'm confident that all of you will live up to this mantra in the seven years to come. But now, I'm sure all of you simply would like to rest after your journey here, so without further delay, boy's dormitories are on the right, girls on the left. Have a good night, and welcome to Hogwarts." With one final smile to the first years, Robert broke away from the group and joined a few other students who looked as if they had been waiting for him.

Definitely tired from the long journey and delicious feast, Elsa immediately made a beeline for the left hand staircase, climbing up until she reached the very top of the staircase where she saw a door marked 'First Years.' Opening the door, Elsa entered a fairly large room with five four-poster beds and five desks, each for the five students in their year. Immediately finding her bed, Elsa was delighted to see that her belongings had been already brought up from the train, her beloved kitten already asleep on the middle on her bed. Trying not to wake the cat, Elsa moved Adonis off toward the side of her bed so that she could have enough room for herself.

"_I should probably write Mom, Dad, and Anna. Eh…forget it, I'm too tired. I'll write to them in the morning,"_ Elsa thought as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, her kitten curling up next to her for warmth.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I also have a bone to pick with some readers. I don't want to alienate anyone from my work, but I do have something to say. I've tried to be pretty quiet and nice about it up until now, but enough is enough. Some readers have been, shall we say, a little aggressive with their questioning about why I'm writing the story in a certain way or why I hadn't added in certain things or ideas. I have a simple answer for this: Because I didn't. I'm writing this story the way I want to write it, as it's MY story. Suggestions are always more than welcome, but aggressive questioning as to why I've made the choices I've made and why I didn't include certain things are not. If you want to write a story with those details, go right on ahead, I wish you the best of luck. I really do. I hope you share it with me, I love reading as much as I love writing. Perhaps I love reading others' work even more. But please don't message me asking why I didn't do things your way. The simplest answer is because I didn't want to. End of discussion.

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Thanks for listening, and again a big thanks to everyone who enjoys my work and tells me so.


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